Students and staff highlight early success of Healdsburg High School wellness center

Kim Harris, the mental health counseling specialist at Healdsburg High School, told trustees the wellness center emphasizes coordination of care and preventive supports, not just a physical space. "By having the wellness center at the high school, it's allowing a lot more opportunities for tier 1 intervention," Harris said, and added that students can use a drop-in space and attend workshops and schoolwide initiatives.

Christina Valencia, the wellness outreach specialist, and several Wellness Youth Council members described student-driven activities and goals. Council members said their retreat focused on relationship-building and planning campaigns on mental health awareness, fentanyl education and peer mentoring. A student presenter said the council aims to "break the stigma around mental health" and noted research-based benefits: increased engagement, better attendance and academic gains when school-based mental health services are available. Harris cited a near-term usage figure: "Last year, for the whole school year, we had 112 students access the wellness center at one point, and we're already almost at 80 just from August to October," a datum trustees flagged as an early sign of normalization.

Trustees and staff thanked the youth team and asked for an end-of-year status report. One trustee asked the team to return with updates in spring; the board suggested an "end of year" status would help gauge whether the early usage grows into the hundreds over the school year. The presentation linked the center's services to the district's broader wellness priorities and to the strategic planning emphasis on mental health supports.