Maryland AWARE - The Maryland State Department of Education will implement Maryland Project Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education (MDP-AWARE) to strengthen comprehensive school mental health systems in Dorchester County Public Schools and Somerset County Public Schools, serving approximately 6,953 K–12 students in two rural Eastern Shore districts. The project will strengthen behavioral health promotion, prevention, early identification, intervention, referral, and coordinated systems of care for students, including those experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, suicidal ideation, substance use, and co-occurring disorders. Strategies include Youth and Teen Mental Health First Aid, Botvin LifeSkills Training, SBIRT, QPR, the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach, the School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation System, resource mapping, coordinated referral pathways, family engagement, technical assistance, implementation coaching, and suicide awareness and prevention policy development. MDP-AWARE will build the capacity of school personnel, families, community partners, and behavioral health providers; expand evidence-based prevention and early intervention; strengthen school-community referral systems; improve school mental health quality improvement processes; and advance sustainable policies, partnerships, and infrastructure.
