Launched: April 7, 2022
Media, PA- At the assembly of County Council on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, District Legal professional Jack Stollsteimer, together with Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor, Director of Human Expert services Sandra Garrison, and representatives from Bloom Consulting, introduced the effects of their much more than yr-extensive exertion to examine the point out of the mental, behavioral, and compound abuse cure products and services available for university-aged children in Delaware County.
The undertaking – regarded as the Healthier Youngsters, Balanced Faculties Initiative – had its origin in a conference in the summer of 2020 among the District Lawyer, Council customers, and educators from close to the county. The educators shared their problem about the surge in untreated and underneath-dealt with psychological and behavioral overall health concerns in their college student populations and expressed concern that these issues had been affecting the basic safety of each their pupils and their personnel.
Adhering to the initial conference, District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer started assembling a workforce to appear at strategies that the County might method this concern in a collaborative, complete, and fairness-minded way. Applying “Safe Schools” state grant funding, Bloom Consulting was employed to support, and they have been doing work for extra than a calendar year with stakeholders from all more than Delaware County. The “Safe Schools” funding traditionally experienced been dispersed to Delaware County universities to make improvements to the physical safety of their properties via the acquire of locks, cameras, and equivalent objects. However, recognizing the amount of issue expressed by educators, the District Attorney requested, and obtained, permission from the point out to use a part of the funding to seem the state of the County’s mental, behavioral, and compound misuse treatment services for school-aged little ones.
In May 2021, Bloom presented the final results of their operate in a investigate report. The investigation involved interviews with additional than 40 stakeholders, together with educators, psychological overall health companies, neighborhood organizations, and human products and services employees, as very well as the outcomes of 8,711 study respondents. Next the completion of the study report, Bloom commenced the system of building a strategic prepare to strengthen the shipping and delivery of providers in Delaware County.
The strategic strategy unveiled on April 6, 2022 is the result of a great number of hrs of conversation and collaboration with a number of stakeholders.
As an preliminary stage in the work outlined in the strategic program, the County has committed to the generation of a position in just the Department of Human Products and services – applying now available funding – that will serve as the coordinator for the ongoing do the job of this Initiative. The placement will be dependable for facilitating initiatives to repeatedly review and boost the shipping and delivery of solutions to the small children in our group and will serve as a place of get hold of for educators in the County with regard to those people companies.
“Delaware County is fully commited to continuing to provide as a leader in strengthening the psychological and behavioral wellbeing providers presented to the younger citizens in our County,” stated Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor. “In tasking a unique person with the responsibility to provide a crystal clear line of conversation involving our universities and our companies, we hope to much better assistance our university communities and our family members. The approach introduced this night will aid the County in our motivation to doing what it can to tackle the persistent and pervasive psychological health crises that confronts our small children and youth.”
In reflecting on the perform of this Initiative, District Lawyer Stollsteimer mentioned, “It has been deeply gratifying to witness the dedication of the folks involved in this challenge to improving the mental and behavioral wellness solutions for our small children. As the do the job has progressed, it has been equally dismaying and affirming to understand of the the latest assessments by equally the US Surgeon Typical and the Centers for Sickness Management, each of which discovered the identical problem that we did back again in the summer time of 2020 – we have a escalating mental health disaster confronting our small children and younger people today. While this crisis predates the pandemic, it has been produced catastrophically even worse by the strain of the final two years. I want to commend County Council for their commitment to this do the job, and to Bloom consulting for their devotion and professionalism. I also want to express my deep and abiding gratitude to all the administrators, lecturers, parents, and local community associates who took the time to enable us with this undertaking. I look forward to observing this do the job continue and grow.”
The Strategic System can be identified here: https://delcopa.gov/pdf/DHKHSI.StrategicPlan.Closing.2022.03.15.pdf
The Study Report can be uncovered right here: https://delcopa.gov/pdf/DHKHSI.ResearchReport.Final.2021.06.18.pdf
