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Las Lomas wellness center reports 500+ students used mental-health supports last year; school highlights substance‑use prevention and peer programs
Summary
Las Lomas High School wellness center staff told city council the center recorded about 2,870 mental‑health visits and served over 500 unique students in the prior school year. Services include drop-in support, individual and group counseling, substance‑use education, fentanyl/Narcan awareness, and partnerships with community nonprofits.
Staff from Las Lomas High School presented the wellness center’s programs and usage to the Walnut Creek City Council on May 20, 2025, highlighting mental‑health supports, peer education and fentanyl awareness work.
Amelia Whalen, Wellness Coordinator at Las Lomas High School, told the council the school serves about 1,600 students and the wellness center logged roughly 2,870 visits for mental‑health support last school year. She said more than 500 unique students accessed services on their own in addition to referrals, and 275 unique students were referred to the center. Services include intake triage, ongoing individual and group counseling delivered by licensed clinicians and interns, drop‑in support during the school day, case management and referrals to community resources.
Whalen described student-led programs such as Bring Change to Mind (a national anti‑stigma program), a leadership wellness committee, a Tobacco Use and Prevention Education partnership, a Protect Your Game program for student‑athlete substance‑use prevention, and peer‑educator efforts focused on counterfeit pills and naloxone awareness developed with the nonprofit Song for Charlie.
On fentanyl and Narcan, Whalen said Las Lomas trained teachers in naloxone administration and that the school has distributed Narcan to interested staff. She said the school has hosted parent education nights featuring community partners and survivor testimonials and has run student academies and peer‑led awareness campaigns. A flyer co‑created by peer educators explains where Narcan is stored on campus and how students can alert a trusted adult.
Council members praised the center’s proactive emphasis on mental wellness rather than a purely reactive crisis model. Several council members related personal or family experience with the center’s services and noted its role as a community resource; council members asked about scale and staffing. Whalen said clinicians include the wellness coordinator (a licensed clinical social worker), an intake specialist and interns pursuing graduate‑level clinical training; many return to continue at the center after graduation.
Next steps: Whalen and board member Stacy Schweppe thanked the council for ongoing city support; staff said the city’s mental‑health partnerships and funding have supported operations and outreach. Council did not take formal action on the presentation.
