2023 EDUCATION EDITION
INPATIENT SERVICES AVAILABILITY resources, there are times when nonpro t treatment center Clarity Child Guidance does not have a bed available and cannot serve a young person in crisis. Percentage of time inpatient services were unavailable by age and gender With an increased need for inpatient mental health services and limited
Female
Male
Male ages 12-17
Female ages 12-17
2020 21
17%
17%
26%
10%
2022 23*
39%
21%
33%
35%
*NOTE: DATA FROM JAN. 2, 2022 THROUGH YEAR TO DATE 2023. SOURCE: CLARITY CHILD GUIDANCE CENTER COMMUNITY IMPACT
and 35% of referrals to Clarity are from school districts around San Antonio, Knudsen said. Since the pandemic has subsided, Clarity has seen a 162% increase in the use of its crisis center. “Someone you know is going through this,” Knudsen said. “It’s very isolating.” The pandemic only exacerbated things, Knudsen said. School-age chil- dren reported greater social anxiety and depression. “I think we grossly underestimated the e ects of closing schools,” she said. County priorities When Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai took o ce in January, one of the things he identi ed as a top prior- ity was health care and, in particular, mental health care. “Healthy families are the bedrock of our economy,” Sakai said in his state of the county address in May. Sakai moved quickly to set up a new county department of public health and appointed Dr. Andrea Guerre- ro-Guajardo to lead it. The new depart- ment is focused on behavioral health, environmental services, preventative health and agriculture. One of the department’s rst acts, and the rst aimed at youth, was to award $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds as grants to 14 school districts for the expansion of mental health care services. The ARPA pro- vided emergency funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The county has until 2026 to use the funding. JISD received over $1
million. North East and Northside ISDs also received $2.6 million and $4.5 million, respectively. SCUCISD did not receive any fund- ing because it is located in Guadalupe County, where o cials opted to use $32.5 million in ARPA funds to address the county’s growth. Guerrero-Guajardo said the county set up the grant to enable districts to decide how to spend the money for mental health services. Leticia Dominguez, the manager for the county’s behavioral health department, said each district knows best what students need. Those needs helped determine which outcomes each district would track as part of the grant. Criteria includes metrics such as absenteeism, disciplinary referrals and expulsions, Dominguez said. “We wanted to make sure that each school district could use the money the way they wanted to based on their needs,” Dominguez said. School districts can also use the grant funds for their sta , and some districts are working to train teachers and others on campus to identify stu- dents who may need help in what is being called “mental rst aid.” The county’s approach is deliberate, Dominguez said, and o cials want to take a focused view of youth and meet the children where they are in school. “Even before the pandemic, we knew schools were underserved,” Dominguez said.
SCREEN TIME
Sometimes, making a healthy change is as easy as putting your devices aside—and getting outside. Especially since sunlight fills the body with healthy Vitamin D. Just don’t forget the sunscreen, because too much sun can be harmful. At University Health, we believe in the power of change. Because that’s where healthier begins. Learn how we’re helping you take charge of your health at UHchange.com . Your partner for healthy change.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
21
NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO METROCOM EDITION • AUGUST 2023
Powered by FlippingBook