Care Solace reports 45 cases in first year; board asks how referrals are made

Care Solace presented its first-year impact report to the Prince George County School Board, reporting 45 total cases so far this school year including 31 warm handoffs from staff and 14 family-initiated cases. The presenter described the platform’s Care Match (anonymous search) portal and follow-up procedures intended to convert referrals into appointments.

“Again, just a reminder what Care Solace is. We are a care coordination service for mental health, substance use, and we just recently added social services,” the Care Solace representative said. The presenter added that warm handoffs generally receive a prescreening link within 15 minutes and that staff follow up by phone and text to schedule care.

Board members asked how referrals are generated and who typically initiates them. Administration answered that school counselors and social workers are the primary referral sources and that principals and administrators also share Care Solace information in newsletters. The presenter said appointment-conversion numbers are still rising and encouraged continued promotion: “This number is low, but that doesn't mean that those individuals did not get to their appointment,” the representative said, noting outreach, matches and unreachable cases.

Next steps: the board acknowledged the program’s early use metrics and encouraged additional outreach to increase warm handoffs and appointment conversions.