Wednesday, April 24, 2024
4/24/2024
The Behavioral Health Division, Minnesota Department of Human Services, will focus the 2020 Disaster Response Grant Program from SAMHSA on school-aged children and youth (K-12) and their families, who have been impacted by severe flooding on four American Indian reservations and in 51 counties, including in Ramsey County, the seat of Minnesota’s capital, St. Paul. On 06/12/2019, FEMA declared the severe weather incident a natural disaster, FEMA-4442-DR. School-aged children and youth (K-12) and their families (“population of focus”) who have been impacted by this declared natural disaster, FEMA-4442-DR, present with trauma- and stressor-related clinical symptoms, indicating prolonged and severe stress, anxiety, depression, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) which call for specific interventions, including counseling services. In addition, traumatized children and youth show a marked decrease in social functioning and academic performance, further exacerbating their clinical symptoms. The demographic makeup of the population of focus is: 51.5% male and 48.5% female; 36.9% American Indian and Students of Color; 38% are students with a reduced/free school lunch; 16.6% are students in special education; 10% are English language learners; and less than 1% are homeless. The main intervention strategy involves the provision of evidence-based, culturally and linguistically competent, and developmentally appropriate school-based and community-based mental health services across all 51 counties and on four American Indian reservations impacted by the declared natural disaster, FEMA-4442-DR. Mental health services include, but are not limited to, the initial screening and assessment of the client, the referral to a provider, followed by service delivery and counseling. All services provided to the client adhere to the National CLAS Standards. The infrastructure for the implementation of this strategy already exists in form of the school-linked mental health resources and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) in Minnesota’s schools, and services related to this declared natural disaster will build on this infrastructure to ensure high efficiency. The respective program goals are: a) train 120 mental health and SUD providers; and b) serve 5000 school-aged children and youth (K-12) and their families in one year.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
