AUSTIN and FORT WORTH, TX, Nov. 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Goodside Health, the nation’s leading provider of school-based healthcare services, today announces the expansion of its portfolio of school-based healthcare solutions with SchoolMed: Mental Health.
Through this first-of-its-kind program, Goodside Health is supporting youth, adolescents, and young adults on their journey to emotional health and well-being by providing timely access to mental health screenings, teletherapy, and crisis response services.
“As Goodside Health has grown to serve over 1 million students, we are acutely aware that the need for mental health services in schools has never been greater,” said Goodside Health President Kevin Pearce.
More than 26% of students were identified at as at-risk for anxiety or depression through mental health screenings delivered during the 2021/22 school year as part of Goodside Health’s SchoolMed program. Of those at risk, more than 14% indicated thoughts of self-harm.
“Our team and school partners have spent years building a program that meets the physical and mental healthcare needs of all students, their families, and their communities,” added Pearce. “Today’s announcement is the culmination of that passionate work, and we are incredibly proud to bring these additional timely mental health supports where they’re most needed.”
SchoolMed: Mental Health provides an expanded suite of services that helps recognize signs of mental illness while providing a timely and clinically appropriate intervention that empowers the journey to positive health and academic outcomes.
Schools rapidly identify students who may benefit from mental health services by initiating a screening right from campus. After the screening, school counselors and identified personnel meet with a Goodside Health provider to assess the results and determine if the student can benefit from teletherapy with a licensed mental health clinician.
Students gain access to teletherapy visits from school or home through Goodside Health’s mental health program. For extended care, students and families receive referrals to local community supports and dedicated mental health partners.
In the event of a mental health or behavioral crisis – when a student is identified as being at risk of causing self-harm or harm to others – schools initiate a crisis response to intervene and de-escalate the situation.
All students in a participating school district or system are eligible to register for the program with parental consent.
“I've seen the overwhelming need and demand to early identify undiagnosed mental health conditions,” said Tracy Spinner, Goodside Health’s Senior Vice President of Education and Strategic Initiatives and the co-Chair of the Texas Education Agency School-Based Mental Health Taskforce.
“Students who are struggling with feelings they may not understand can connect with a mental health professional, receive a screening, access a higher level of evaluation to receive a diagnosis, and access teletherapy timely, effectively, and in the place they trust – at school,” added Spinner.
“Students shouldn’t have to wait to get the help they need. With these expanded mental health services, they don’t have to.”
Goodside Health’s new offering builds on the widespread success of the SchoolMed program – which continues to increase Average Daily Attendance (ADA) rates while improving health and educational outcomes – previously incorporated mental health screenings during SchoolMed virtual visits. Screenings, as well as teletherapy and crisis response services, are now exclusively available through SchoolMed: Mental Health.
Interested school districts and systems can invest in their campus communities with a low per student per year cost, with mental health services provided at no cost to students and families. Learn more at goodsidehealth.com/mentalhealth.
About Goodside Health
Goodside Health is advancing the delivery of pediatric care by partnering with communities to provide access to physical health, mental health, and telehealth services at school, at home, and in the clinic. Relentless advocates for expanding access to care and promoting health equity, Goodside Health leverages a Whole-Child Approach to care and lives our mission of closing gaps in children’s healthcare through innovation and execution.
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