The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has launched an initiative that will provide training and consultation in mental and behavioral health in 130 K-12 schools.
The program will run this winter and spring through the North Carolina Psychiatry Access Line, which was previously only available to primary care providers, according to a Dec. 8 news release. It is designed to prepare staff to help students with mental and behavioral health issues and connect them to mental health experts when needed.
"The North Carolina Psychiatry Access Line expands access to mental healthcare for children in a dramatic way," NCDHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley said in the release. "Now, staff in 130 schools will have direct access to psychiatric experts who can help them better support our students. Expanding access to psychiatric experts is one of the many ways we are investing in behavioral health as well as the well-being of children and families across North Carolina."
Opting into training was free for public schools that are part of the state's StrongSchoolsNC COVID-19 Testing Program and offer free COVID-19 tests to students.