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Speakers praise new school wellness room as mental-health resource and urge expansion across Pinellas
Summary
At a community event, speakers described a newly opened school wellness room as a place for students to de-stress, credited funding from Tampa Bay Thrives and support from HCA Florida Healthcare, and urged rolling out similar rooms across Pinellas schools.
Organizers and community speakers on Friday described a newly opened school wellness room as a place where students can step away from class to manage stress and anxiety, and urged the district to expand the model to other schools.
A presenter said the project grew from conversations with students in neighborhoods that lack safe gathering places and that partnering with the district was “incredibly important” because the district supplies locations and expertise. The presenter said the rooms focus on self-guided activities so school counselors and therapists remain available for students in crisis.
At the event a public commenter recounted being "shocked and flabbergasted" the first time she visited the room, saying that previously students "had to go to class or sit in the hallways" when they were struggling. "Well, now since we have this wellness room, uh we can blow off all this stress and um anxiety," the commenter said, adding that "mental health is so important for our students." She urged the district to place a wellness room in every school and thanked Tampa Bay Thrives for investing in the space.
Another participant said the room "make[s] me feel welcome" and praised features that allow students to express themselves through art and to "just talk about their problems in general and get the like the steam out of the day."
A representative of HCA Florida Healthcare called the organization an "anchor institution" and said investing in students and mental wellness "is a valuable investment" that the hospital system supports.
Speakers framed the rooms as complements to existing counseling services rather than replacements, emphasizing self-guided activities alongside access to school-based mental-health professionals. The event did not record a formal district commitment to a systemwide rollout; speakers repeatedly expressed hope and gratitude for the partnership and for the initial location at Pinellas Innovation.
No formal votes or motions were recorded at the event. Organizers and partners said the first wellness room is intended as a pilot and a starting point for further expansion.
