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Gilroy Unified expands wellness centers and community therapy partnerships amid rising youth need
Summary
District leaders reported thousands of wellness‑center visits this academic year and described a partnership model with community providers and an internship pipeline to expand services. The board heard data on crisis interventions, counseling volumes, and plans to pursue long‑term funding through state behavioral‑health initiatives.
District staff and community partner agencies presented a multi‑pronged update on May 29 describing the district’s rapid expansion of school‑based wellness centers, school‑linked services and community counseling partnerships.
"Wellness centers this year have been the highlight of my work," said the district’s wellness lead (first‑year staffer Mirna, identified in the presentation). She reported that elementary, middle and high school wellness centers logged thousands of student visits across sites, with services ranging from brief check‑ins and skills groups to crisis interventions and safety planning.
Don (representing Effective School Solutions) described tiered services (Tier 1 universal supports, Tier 2 targeted interventions, Tier 3 intensive therapeutic services) and noted that the district has kept many students in‑district who otherwise might have required non‑public school placements. Debbie Leone, the regional director for the partner provider, shared data showing hundreds of individual counseling sessions, collaterals (teacher/parent coordination), group sessions and structured lunch interventions. She said a majority of students who received Tier‑3 services showed improvement in attendance, grades or discipline metrics.
Trustees asked about access and equity (waitlists for community providers, how students access wellness centers during the day, translation and family consent for services). Staff said they are piloting tele‑behavioral health, social‑work internships with local universities, and using county and grant programs (including the Children & Youth Behavioral Health Initiative) to sustain staffing.
District and partner staff highlighted the importance of measurement: they are tracking referrals, visit counts, crisis interventions and service outcomes and said they would continue to supply the board with regular updates on utilization and outcomes.
The board received the report and encouraged continued attention to access for underserved populations and sustainability planning.
