Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Barrow County seeks board OK to continue Project AWARE funding and MOU after two years of school‑based mental health work
Summary
Project AWARE staff updated the board on year two of a five‑year federal mental‑health infrastructure grant, reporting outreach, training and referral metrics, and asked the board to add a year‑three MOU and up to $420,000 in funds to the consent agenda for Sept. 2.
Barrow County administrators asked the board on Aug. 26 to place a year‑three Project AWARE memorandum of understanding and up to $420,000 of associated funds on the Sept. 2 consent agenda after describing two years of grant activity.
Dr. Thompson and Project AWARE staff described the federal grant, the work completed in year two and metrics the team uses to connect students to care. “We are a federally funded grant program for mental health infrastructure in schools,” Project AWARE clinicians said; district presenters said the consortium grant totals $1,800,000 over five years and serves multiple nearby counties in a coordinated effort.
Project AWARE program manager Karen Hope and clinicians Carmelita Hale and Jade Baker told the board the grant work includes three program buckets: student mental‑health awareness and suicide prevention, training for adults who work with youth, and referral and connection to community providers. The presenters said 1,540 seventh‑ and ninth‑grade students received Erica’s Lighthouse suicide‑prevention lessons in secondary schools; of those, roughly 11% completed a referral that resulted in further school‑based follow‑up. For elementary grades the team delivered age‑appropriate “wellness days” lessons to third through fifth graders.
On adult training, the presenters said the district held Youth Mental Health First Aid for school resource officers, special education coordinators and others; the district planned certified trainer coursework so the team can scale training locally. Project AWARE staff also described Question‑Persuade‑Refer (QPR) and trauma‑informed practices provided to teachers, transportation staff and others.
On referrals and treatment connections, Project AWARE staff reported 565 referrals during the last school year across elementary, middle and high school bands, and that 40% of referred families started services after the referral — a completion rate the presenters compared to a SAMHSA national Project AWARE average of 25%. Staff credited expanded memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with community providers (increasing from one to seven MOUs) and ongoing provider coordination for improving access and uptake. The team said the grant does not pay for long‑term outpatient treatment but helps families navigate insurance, provider orientation and access barriers.
Staff emphasized crisis response capacity as a grant component. The presenters described a partnership with North Georgia Health Systems/Laurelwood for expedited crisis evaluations and noted the grant funds Prepare training for clinicians who respond to on‑site incidents. Project AWARE leaders also described a partnership with the Cook Center to supply free parent webinars, live “ask a therapist” sessions and parent coaching; they reported rising usage after launch in May.
Dr. Thompson asked that the board add an MOU with a regional partner listed in materials (transcript: “Northeast Georgia Bridal”) for monitoring and implementation to the Sept. 2 consent agenda and requested the board accept the federal funds up to $420,000 for year three. Board members did not record a formal vote on the request at the Aug. 26 session; the superintendent recommended placing the MOU and funding on the consent agenda.
