Henrico Cares reports improved access, early declines in risky behaviors after year one

Henrico County School Board members on Aug. 28 heard a year‑one report on Henrico Cares, a county‑school partnership that placed new school‑based mental‑health positions and expanded access to coordinated care for students and families.

Presenters from Henrico County Public Schools and Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services said the program funded five new tiered intervention school counselor (TISC) positions in year one, launched Care Solace (a 24/7 multilingual care‑coordination service) and Hazel Health teletherapy, and co‑located mental‑health teams at schools including Fairfield Middle School.

"This equates to a 45 percent rate of appointment into care, which is significantly higher than the national average of 18 percent," Amy Johnson, HCPS school‑based mental‑health clinical supervisor, told the board when summarizing Care Solace outcomes and scheduling metrics. Presenters said more than 450 HCPS students, family members and staff used Care Solace during year one, with an average scheduling wait time of about two to three weeks; Hazel Health teletherapy served 132 high‑school students in 536 weekly sessions during the same period.

Daniel Rigsby of Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services described clinical partnerships and on‑site services, saying co‑located teams provided outpatient therapy, case management and links to intensive services. He noted the county’s Parent‑Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) program expanded capacity and is offered in English, Spanish and Lebanese Arabic, and that 89 percent of participants in PCIT showed significant improvement in behavior in the period reported.

Presenters tied several early outcome measures to on‑site preventive and clinical work. They reported a 5 percent decline in incidents of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use at comprehensive high schools, a 10 percent drop in threat assessments categorized as "danger to others," an 11 percent reduction in youth at high suicide risk versus the previous year, and a 4 percent reduction in same‑day access visits. The team also reported a 34 percent decrease in posting, distributing or displaying inappropriate material compared with earlier years.

Board members used the presentation to press for more detail. Miss Kinsella asked how the district is reducing stigma; Johnson pointed to curriculum (Botvin life skills), youth mental health first aid, and student‑led mental‑health clubs as core strategies. Members requested multi‑year trend data and clearer context for percentage changes, and asked staff to explain why younger children (ages 3–11) made up a large share of early users; presenters said caregiver access patterns and ease of scheduling for younger children were factors and offered to follow up.

On screening, staff said a universal screening tool has not yet been selected and that a multidisciplinary team will evaluate options this year; it is not yet determined whether the district will use an opt‑in or opt‑out model. For students identified as high risk, presenters described a school suicide screener that guides next‑step referrals to mental‑health partners and crisis agencies, with same‑day connections in acute cases separate from the 2–3 week scheduling pathway through Care Solace.

Board members also asked about session frequency, in‑school teletherapy options and outreach to different caregiver groups; staff said Hazel Health teletherapy will be expanded to middle schools next year, marketing and peer‑to‑peer awareness are being used to reach families, and staff will return with follow‑up details on session volume and demographic tracking.

The board did not take action on policy at the work session; presenters said they will supply the requested data and screening‑tool options at future meetings.