Friday, March 14, 2025
3/14/2025
Tulare County Office of Education Special Services (TCOE-SS) designed Project AWARE Tulare to create a sustainable infrastructure to promote mental health awareness, provide drug and alcohol abuse prevention and intervention activities, and ensure access and connection to appropriate and effective behavioral health services for children and youth (grades K-12) and their families. The project will be implemented in 20 schools and the Juvenile Detention Facility in Years 1-2, serving over 16,000 students. By the end of the funding period, the project will serve all TCOE districts (44) and more than 100,000 students and nearly 10,000 educators. The districts serve a significant population of students living in poverty and English learners. Over eighty percent of the schools in the region are rural schools, predominantly located in impoverished areas, isolated from urban and suburban support systems. Nearly one-third of the households in the San Joaquin Valley earn less than the Federal Poverty Level, a higher proportion than any other region in the state. Tulare County is facing an alarming mental health crisis among young people as evidenced by a 23% increase in youth psychiatric hospitalization in 2020 and a suicide rate of 10.5/100,000 youth, one of the highest youth suicide rates in the State. The following goals and objectives will guide the project. Goal 1: Increase awareness of mental health, substance use and co-occurring issues. Obj: Number of students demonstrating knowledge of mental wellness self-care 5% increase each Year; Number of students indicating awareness of school-based mental health services at 75% or higher each Year; Number of school professionals indicate awareness of school-based mental health services at 90% or higher each Year; School staff self-describe as more confident (on pre-and post-surveys) in their ability to ID risk factors for mental health, AOD, and co-occurring issues in students; Number of students indicate awareness of harmfulness of substance use exceed 50% or higher each Year. Goal 2: Increase knowledge of educators to understand and detect the symptoms of mental health, substance abuse/co-occurring disorders. Obj: 5% each Year; 10 trainings each year. Goal 3: Increase access to and availability of culturally competent programs to promote resilience building and mental well-being; Obj: Number of students participating in resiliency building and mental well-being programs 75% or higher each year. Goal 4: Create and sustain school based mental health system, based on three-tiered public health model; Obj: Participating districts will increase each year to 44 (all) districts in Year 5; Tier 2 service providers receive 15 trainings each Year; Number of students receive positive behavior supports increase by 5% each Year; Ratio of students to school based mental health providers increase by 5% each Year. Goal 5: Develop referral pathway system; Obj: Number of students receiving external post-referral care increase by 5% each Year; Advisory Council will partner with at least two external referral providers each Year. In a rural county such as Tulare, the schools are often the first and only resources for students and families to access mental health services due to a lack of transportation to the larger urban areas. However, in these rural schools where poverty, substance abuse, and trauma are far too common, many students who struggle with mental health issues never get the treatment they need—either through lack of awareness of available services or a need of services beyond the scope of current mental health support structures at the schools. Project AWARE Tulare will address these needs by providing awareness, education, and mental wellness activities, a three-tiered support structure, and pathways to services in the schools and surrounding communities.
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).