Provident’s BHIS program is demonstrating success by adding a second school within the Grandview district and a new school in the Ritenour school district. These schools join services already being offered in the University City and Hazelwood districts. There is more good news! We were just awarded funding from the Jefferson County Community Mental Health Fund Board to expand to Crystal City school district in January.
This program offers non-therapeutic counseling, case management, and care coordination to school-aged youth and their families. Youth may be referred by parents/guardians, educators, or may even self-refer. BHIS’s provide an initial mental health assessment to determine the needs of each student. They then connect them to longer-term care such as counseling or psychiatric services and in the meantime provide in-school supports. This safety net program also provides classroom observations, psycho-education, and presentations to students, staff, and parents.
We answered the call from University City to place a bilingual BHIS in their elementary school, addressing a high need for their school population. Congratulations to this team for helping lead the youth to a brighter future!