CHENANGO COUNTY – Recognizing a problem and addressing it early is just one part of what local social workers are trying to achieve with a new program.
Clinic Plus offers free in-school mental health screenings to students. Senior social worker and program coordinator Kristie Scott says since the program has been implemented, she personally has seen how successful it can be. The program – a collaboration of the New York State Board of education Department and the Office of Mental Health – has worked to get the support of local school districts, county officials and other agencies involved.
“Based on national research, it is believed many children are under-diagnosed when it comes to their mental well-being,” said Scott. “We are trying to lessen that number by addressing the problem before it is too late.”
Targeting young children, Clinic Plus addresses not only a child’s physical state but their emotional state as well. “Many times parents and adults will address a child’s physical health, but it is the child’s emotional wellness that tends to get ignored,” said Scott.
The program, which offers early intervention screenings, was officially introduced to Chenango County school districts at the beginning of the school year. It is available at no cost for the county or any school interested in participating. Scott and Mental Health Director Mary Ann Spryn presented the program to area superintendents, outlining what it would offer students and the residents of each district.
Following the meeting, Scott says both Afton and Greene districts were eager to get Clinic Plus implemented. “We want to catch children that would benefit from extra support from their community, and if caught early enough, it could in turn mean the child will require less services as they age,” said Scott. The program is currently active in Afton and the process to gain final approval is in the works for Greene Central School. “There was some delay, but we are hopeful that it will be approved soon,” said Greene Superintendent Gary Smith.
After two months of working within the Afton school district, Scott says children from pre-school age to teenagers have benefited from the program. At the start of the year, Scott sent questionnaires as well as consent forms to every child’s household in the district. “From the 619 letters mailed, I received 10 percent back wanting screenings,” said Scott. “I think that is a good start.”
Easing the stigma of having a mental heath screening, Scott says by implementing the program into the school environment, it often makes the child and the parents more at ease about having the screening performed at all. “There is a stigma associated with the words ‘mental health,’” she said. “However, we want to work to ease that stigma.”
Following a child’s free in-school screening, Scott says she notifies the parent whether the child is flagged as needing a full assessment or if the child does not need further attention. “If a child is flagged as needing more attention, we have the resources to offer it,” said Scott. Besides the mental health clinic in Norwich, Scott says she discusses various other options with parents if their child needs a full assessment. She also explains any services offered outside of the school environment are not funded by additional state revenue and state aid, but would be billed just like any other regular office visit. “Here at the county mental health clinic, we have a sliding scale and unlike many others, we will not turn anyone away due to lack of insurance or payment,” explained Scott.
Two days a week, Scott is on hand in Afton performing screenings. Each screening lasts approximately 15 minutes, and the children are asked age appropriate questions regarding their social skills, activities they enjoy, their ability to perform their school tasks and other various questions.
Afton Central School Superintendent Betty Briggs says she is pleased to see the program working. “It has only been a short time, however, we have 25 students or so receiving a full comprehensive assessment,” she said. Briggs says having the program in the school is helpful to her students and families due to transportation needs and other variables.
“This allows us to have mental health service that in the past we have not been able to offer,” she said.
Scott said while her days are currently busy in Afton she is preparing to send out another consent and questionnaire form to all parents informing them that it is still not too late to have their children screened. Scott says getting letters out more than once is important in order to make sure she is reaching out to everyone who may be interested in the program. After the first round of screenings, Scott says she had 24 students who were recommended for a full assessment, with 15 of them being done at the county clinic.
Getting more schools interested in the program is one goal Scott says she will carry into the new year and she would like to see many more area schools get on board with the screening process. Once finished in Afton, Scott will go onto Greene where letters are also being prepared to send to parents. “I am hoping to reach out to everyone who may need our services,” she said.