San Antonio committee hears update on youth mental-health contracts and sees prototype service map

Jesse Hegues, identified in the meeting as a mental-health official, updated the committee on youth mental-health initiatives that have grown since 2021. Hegues said Metro Health and partners launched school-based contracts after COVID, with about 20 contracts providing services across the city, and that previous summits and surveys have measured improvements in student symptoms and service reach. She told the committee Metro Health plans a third annual summit on Oct. 30 to continue cross-sector coordination.

Hegues said some COVID-era funds that helped expand contracts are ending and partners are working with county and philanthropic sources to sustain services. She cited program reporting indicating thousands of youth received individual or group therapy and that surveys showed reductions in some symptoms; the transcript includes multiple numeric references but some contract totals are unclear in the recording and require verification.

Councilmembers asked for concrete program-level data. Councilmember Mica Rodríguez asked for a high-resolution pamphlet and numbers showing how many students are served at each school; other members sought maps that link crisis calls (911) to follow-up and outcomes. Presenters demonstrated a prototype dashboard combining kindergarten-readiness, third-grade reading, library-event attendance, "Ready to Work" workforce participants and DHS participant addresses to help locate service gaps and overlaps.

Councilmembers recommended interactive features (clickable layers, weekly views) and asked that the presenters refine geography and data granularity. The committee ended without new motions on the mental-health contracts; presenters said they would provide higher-resolution materials and return with additional data.