Virginia, USA – The Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe reported last Friday that two 5 year federal grants has been awarded to the Commonwealth with a total of almost $13.3M to further improve student mental health services and also expand programs to help make their schools safer by significantly reducing disruptive behavior and violence with urgent care.
Entitled “Project Aware”, the five-year grant was awarded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that will provide an excess of $9.7M from now up to 2018 in supporting training for said teachers and public school personnel statewide in respond to current mental health issues being faced by children and the youth. The main aim is to connect troubled and in need students with appropriate school and community based services.
The grant will also fund pilot programs involving three school divisions, particularly the Montgomery County, Fairfax County, and Pulaski County in order make safer learning environments. Students in need of urgent care near me will have access to needed services by significantly improving coordination and communication between public schools, urgent care clinics, mental service providers and also other private and public agencies that will focus on the children’s and the young adults’ well-being.
Another five-year grant entitled “School Climate Transformation” from the Department of Education is awarded that will help provide in excess of $3.5M in expanding the “Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports” (PBIS) program to be able to reach 45 more school divisions improve student mental health services. The PBIS’ goal is to improve behavior and safety that are consistent with school wide rules, reinforcements, and consequences for applicable conduct, added with intensive support and additional services for students involved in disruptive behavior.
Virginia is just one of the nine states who also applied for the said grants to further improve student mental health services were approved. The applying states were all required to expound how said services to be funded would be beneficial when integrated into its initiative of improving the school environment for the overall well-being of their students.
Currently, a total of 61 from the 132 Commonwealth school divisions have already implemented the said PBIS approach. The funding awarded from the School Climate Transformation grant is aimed to support essential training and also technical assistance for said additional school divisions.
Governor McAuliffe stated that this is a huge accomplishment for Virginia schools, its students, their families and also communities. Aside from going to an urgent care clinic, the grants that aim to improve student mental health services can give students access to needed assistance within the school environment.
