A string of teens suicides caused one school district to change how they looked at mental health in their students.
The Hortonville School District, in southern Outagamie County is leading the charge across the state, advocating schools provide access for mental health resources.
In a new video, produced with the help of the state Department of Public Instruction shows why connecting students with resources and an adult inside the school is the best course of action.
PostCrescent reports
Therapy for Hortonville students is provided by Catalpa Health. Katie Jensen, Catalpa’s director of access and outreach services, says in the video that the model offers the “best care” because the therapist can collaborate with school staff. But that work is not always billable to health insurers. In Hortonville, a district 15 miles west of Appleton, the efforts have relied on grant funding.
Officials in the video make the pitch that state support is needed to sustain such resources long-term.
State Superintendent Tony Evers has proposed a $6 million investment as part of the state’s 2017-19 budget
For more on schools want to address mental health in students, visit Post Crescent.