Syracuse City Schools students will soon have access to new mental health services through a partnership between the school district and the State University of New York Upstate Medical College.
Through the five-year program, which begins in January, mental health professionals from Upstate New York and the district will provide support to students through on-site clinics and telehealth appointments. The new service will be funded by a $5.5 million federal grant.
John B. King, chancellor of the State University of New York School System, said at a press conference Wednesday that the partnership will help the growing number of young people in need of mental health support and increase the number of advocates from diverse backgrounds. said.
“For many students, school is the only place they have someone to check in with, and the only place they can find the love, support and reassurance they need,” Professor King said. “This work to support mental health in schools will save children’s lives. It will strengthen our communities.”
Teresa Bowers, director of mental health for SCSD, said the district recorded 312 cases last year in which students experienced “suicidal thoughts.”
However, many of these students are unable to get the help they need because of a lack of mental health providers in the area, she said. Bowers said 300 students are currently on the district’s waiting list for mental health services. But she believes there are many more students in need of services.
“Students in our community face many challenges stemming from a number of cumulative adverse childhood experiences and traumas,” Bowers said. “How it manifests is often a serious mental health crisis, behavioral problems, suicidal thoughts.”
The program includes permanent clinics at select schools and telehealth appointments. Initially, permanent providers will be available at Grant Middle School and McCarthy at Beard School, an alternative program serving students in all grades with severe emotional, behavioral, and social needs. Bowers said.
Bowers said staff will be available not only during school hours, but also after school and during recess.
Students will also have easier access to health care providers such as nurses, autism specialists and child psychiatrists without needing a referral or waiting for an appointment to become available, New York said. said Mantosh Dewan, president of New York University Upstate.
“Our dream is simple,” he said. “Every child, no matter how disadvantaged, deserves the same level of care and expertise as any other child, with all their needs, support, connections, checks and services.”
Health care is often more effective when the provider has the same background as the patient, but cities and schools lack a diverse pool of health care providers that students can access, Dewan said.
The partnership will create a pipeline for mental health professionals and allow students to meet health care providers who share their racial and cultural identities, Dewan said.
He said Upstate City plans to hire a diverse group of health care providers, including Upstate students who can earn clinical hours. Upstate professional health care providers and district staff will also work at the clinic and help guide students as they continue their work in the field, he said.
“We very carefully and intentionally want to recruit a very diverse initial group of people who then become mentors and trainers for the rest of the group,” Dewan said. said. “We want to build a rich set of services that students value, and that we definitely value, too.”
