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Mental health grant expands school-based services in Marysville, presenters say
Summary
The Mental Health & Recovery Board of Union County told the Marysville Exempted Village Board of Education that a four-year Project AWARE grant (about $7.1 million) expanded school-based behavioral health services, trained nearly 1,000 professionals and increased student screenings from roughly 3,700 to over 17,000, with sustainability efforts underway.
Doctor Howard introduced Randy Bargo Smith of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Union County and Mark Gallagher to brief the Marysville Exempted Village Board of Education on Project AWARE on Jan. 15.
Randy Bargo Smith said the four-year Project AWARE award totaled about $7,100,000 and aimed to expand access to prevention, early intervention and treatment in school settings. "Our goals were to increase access to services and supports, establish or expand a comprehensive school-based mental health system, and focus on prevention, early intervention and treatment services," Smith said.
Presenters summarized outcomes the grant supported in Marysville and nearby districts: referrals for mental-health services rose from about 506 in year one to roughly 970 in the most recent year; workforce development efforts trained about 978 professionals; and screenings increased from about 3,700 to over 17,000 (the presenter noted repeat screenings can account for some of the increase). Smith said those increases helped identify students who might otherwise be missed.
The board heard details about district roles and positions funded through the grant. Presenters said the district used Project AWARE funds to support two student-success coordinators and a board-certified behavior analyst; the presenters cited a figure of about $303,971.58 per year to support those three positions. Additional direct grant allocations to Marysville were cited at $195,678.79 for contracts and licensure (Sept. 2023'Dec. 2025) and about $208,000 for school-navigation services that can bill some services while remaining free to families.
Board members asked about parental consent, service locations and staff reactions. A presenter said services begin with an informed-consent process and may be provided in school, via billed outpatient partners (for example Mary Haven) or through telehealth providers such as Charlie Health, depending on family preferences and clinical need. Post-training surveys and staff interviews reported positive feedback, with presenters citing roughly 97% of participants saying they left trainings with additional knowledge and skills.
Presenters described prevention programs funded through Project AWARE, including PAX Good Behavior Game, small-group tier-2 interventions, the Ruling Our Experiences Girls program and elementary prevention curricula such as Too Good for Drugs. Safety Care, a nonviolent crisis prevention and intervention training, has been expanded districtwide, with presenters saying staff trained rose from 92 to 126 in the district.
Smith and Gallagher emphasized sustainability steps: pursuing competitive state and federal grants, integrating Medicaid-reimbursable models for school-based social work and seeking Medicaid reimbursement for certain therapeutic services to reduce long-term dependence on time-limited grant funding.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation; Superintendent Howard thanked the presenters and opened the floor for follow-up as needed.
