A program that gives support to students struggling with mental health is about to go into its fourth year of implementation, now serving all 14 Bend-La Pine middle and high schools. The program, a partnership between Bend-La Pine Schools and Deschutes County Health Services, offers a collaborative approach to addressing and preventing mental health issues.
The program started in July 2021 and was planned to be phased in over three years. Now, with progress under its belt, it will continue its momentum of reaching students and addressing health needs within schools in the 2024-2025 school year.
The program brings health specialists and resources into schools to offer well-rounded strategies aimed at addressing a list of complex adolescent health issues such as mental health, suicide prevention, substance abuse and healthy relationships, among others.
According to Aimee Snyder, the Adolescent and School Health Supervisor with Deschutes County, the program came out of a need for higher level support for students, bringing County health professionals to the table to put practices and strategies into place.
A 2023 report described the need of the program, noting that 50% of middle and high school students in BLPS reported feeling stressed, anxious or depressed as a barrier to learning. The high rate of youth mental health issues exceeds the capacity of treatment providers alone, the report stated, calling for partnerships to address the root causes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, schools that promote student mental health and well-being can improve classroom behavior, school engagement and peer relationships, leading to academic success.
“The annual report is showing that it’s working, which is why it’s such an important investment,” Jennifer Hauth, the Bend-La Pine Schools director of mental, social and emotional wellbeing.
The report found that in the 2023-2023 school year, 95% of health teachers were using effective prevention programs, an increase from 31%, reaching 5,327 adolescents. Additionally, 50% of referrals for behavioral healthcare assessments resulted in behavioral healthcare appointments.
“We're really doing things that are affecting every student in the school. It's very universal practices and targeted practices,” said Synder.
The program provides five public health specialists on-site, each serving two or three schools. Instead of counselors working and addressing this need on their own, Synder said the program allows staff to work in concert with admin workers, nurses, teachers, health specialists and partners to make sure the health curriculum and strategies are working in synergy.
“It has been a wonderful partnership. I’ve never worked in a district that had this; it feels very progressive,” said Hauth.
Hauth, who oversees the schools’ counselors, feels like the collaborative nature of this program is what helps it in being so successful. Having that follow-through on the ground, she said, is not always there, but this program makes that possible.
The program started in July 2021 and was planned to be phased in over three years. Now, with progress under its belt, it will continue its momentum of reaching students and addressing health needs within schools in the 2024-2025 school year.
The program brings health specialists and resources into schools to offer well-rounded strategies aimed at addressing a list of complex adolescent health issues such as mental health, suicide prevention, substance abuse and healthy relationships, among others.
According to Aimee Snyder, the Adolescent and School Health Supervisor with Deschutes County, the program came out of a need for higher level support for students, bringing County health professionals to the table to put practices and strategies into place.
A 2023 report described the need of the program, noting that 50% of middle and high school students in BLPS reported feeling stressed, anxious or depressed as a barrier to learning. The high rate of youth mental health issues exceeds the capacity of treatment providers alone, the report stated, calling for partnerships to address the root causes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, schools that promote student mental health and well-being can improve classroom behavior, school engagement and peer relationships, leading to academic success.
“The annual report is showing that it’s working, which is why it’s such an important investment,” Jennifer Hauth, the Bend-La Pine Schools director of mental, social and emotional wellbeing.
The report found that in the 2023-2023 school year, 95% of health teachers were using effective prevention programs, an increase from 31%, reaching 5,327 adolescents. Additionally, 50% of referrals for behavioral healthcare assessments resulted in behavioral healthcare appointments.
“We're really doing things that are affecting every student in the school. It's very universal practices and targeted practices,” said Synder.
The program provides five public health specialists on-site, each serving two or three schools. Instead of counselors working and addressing this need on their own, Synder said the program allows staff to work in concert with admin workers, nurses, teachers, health specialists and partners to make sure the health curriculum and strategies are working in synergy.
“It has been a wonderful partnership. I’ve never worked in a district that had this; it feels very progressive,” said Hauth.
Hauth, who oversees the schools’ counselors, feels like the collaborative nature of this program is what helps it in being so successful. Having that follow-through on the ground, she said, is not always there, but this program makes that possible.
