Oklahoma City Public Schools receives $1.5M federal grant for school mental health

Okcps aware - Oklahoma City Public Schools (okcps) project aware will strengthen a three-tiered public health framework across 57 district-operated schools in Oklahoma city, Oklahoma, serving 31,104 students. Annually throughout the grant, tier 1 mental health promotion, substance use prevention, and intervention services will reach all students; tier 2 services will serve 1,500 students at risk for mental health, substance use, or co-occurring disorders; and tier 3 services will serve 300 students with these needs. The project will conduct a community needs assessment and asset mapping, establish and maintain an advisory board and community partnerships, adopt strategic and sustainability plans, and expand family education. Tier 2 activities include multidisciplinary teams, revised screening processes, 4 licensed mental health specialists, 3 support counselors, and staff training in screening and brief interventions. Tier 3 activities include formalized community referral pathways, revised crisis response protocols, a case management system, and training in brief strategic family therapy and sparcs. The project will also provide training in characterstrong safe and supported, botvin lifeskills training, and youth mental health first aid to strengthen prevention, early intervention, and access to care.