This winter and spring, 130 public schools across North Carolina will receive mental and behavioral health training and consultation through the North Carolina Psychiatry Access Line.
Officials say the services will give participating K-12 school staff the support they need to help their students who may be dealing with mental and behavioral health concerns. It’s free to the districts.
"The pandemic has impacted our students in many ways, including more students struggling with mental and behavioral health issues," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt.
State health secretary Kody Kinsley says there’s an urgent need to support behavioral health in schools -- during the pandemic, the rate of children discharged from an emergency department with a behavioral health condition increased by as much as 70%.
"The North Carolina Psychiatry Access Line expands access to mental health care for children in a dramatic way. Now, staff in 130 schools will have direct access to psychiatric experts who can help them better support our students," he said. "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."
School behavioral health teams working with NC-PAL will have access to a child psychiatry expert who will provide consultation and training based on the behavioral health concerns each team is encountering in their school.
