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DBH says school‑based behavioral health coverage at 77% as it shifts away from one‑size‑fits‑all
Summary
DBH told the Committee on Health it has moved to a diversified, hybrid school‑based behavioral health model and reported coverage increased to about 77% of target schools by combining CBO clinicians and DBH‑hired clinicians; DBH plans to add prevention specialists and more in‑house FTEs.
Dr. Megan Sullivan, DBH’s deputy director for child and adolescent services, described a multi‑year transition for school‑based behavioral health that moves away from placing one licensed clinician in every school to tailoring resources to each school’s needs. "We're really changing that focus…we're at about 77%" Sullivan said, explaining the hybrid model: 116 schools staffed by CBO clinicians and 59 staffed by DBH‑hired clinicians.
DBH plans to reduce the number of CBO clinicians over time while increasing DBH‑hired FTEs and adding a new prevention‑specialist role (non‑licensed) to expand prevention programming in classrooms. Councilmembers raised hiring and workforce concerns; Sullivan said DBH had posted clinical positions and hoped to hire additional clinicians by March, but acknowledged workforce constraints and the need to maintain quality hiring standards. "We will be continuing a hybrid model, but we will be reducing the number of CBO clinicians and increasing the number of DBH hired FTEs," Sullivan said.
