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Dorchester agency outlines SKIP school-intervention caseload and access supports
Summary
Dorchester Alcohol & Drug Commission and Dorchester Counseling Services presented the SKIP school-intervention program to the Dorchester 02 board, reporting 51 students referred this school year (44 for marijuana, 6 for alcohol) and describing sliding-fee, Medicaid coverage and scholarships to reduce barriers.
Dorchester Alcohol & Drug Commission representatives told the Dorchester School District 2 board on April 28 that the district’s SKIP (School Intervention Program) currently serves 51 students this school year, with referrals primarily for marijuana use (44 students) and alcohol (6 students). Sarah Larrabee, associate director, and Brooke Hume, prevention director, described SKIP as an early-intervention program that begins with an assessment at Dorchester Counseling Services and typically includes six weeks of group sessions, individual or family therapy as needed, case management and periodic drug screening.
The presenters said many referred students use more than one substance: Hume noted that students referred for alcohol frequently also use marijuana, and that a subset of marijuana referrals have secondary or tertiary substance use. Larrabee described the program’s funding mix: the agency accepts Medicaid (no cost for Medicaid-covered students), bills private insurance when available, uses a sliding-fee scale after a financial assessment for families without coverage, and applies state and occasional federal grant dollars. The agency also maintains internal scholarships to keep students in the program when families experience last-minute financial hardship.
Board members asked whether behavioral (non-substance) referrals occur; Larrabee said those referrals have declined but are still made and that SKIP maintains relationships with school counselors and local mental-health providers. On direct referrals, presenters said schools and principals can refer students directly and that the agency coordinates with school staff to monitor progress and support family engagement.
Miss Powell, who introduced the presenters, said her own experience at an advisory meeting underscored the program’s impact after a family in the lobby described a child’s positive outcome from SKIP services. The agency representatives urged earlier intervention and emphasized transportation and cost as barriers they are actively trying to reduce.
The board did not take a formal vote on the SKIP contract during the presentation; agency staff said they will be available to answer follow-up questions about the contract in the board packet.
