CRETE AREA MEDICAL CENTER
Local students benefit from mental health assessments
C
rete Area Medical Center is partnering with schools in situation, which made it difficult for teachers and counselors surrounding communities to make sure students have to help with follow-up care. access to mental health care when they need it. Since partnering with Wilber-Clatonia in May of 2019, Last year, Crete Area Medical CAMC has invited schools Center CEO Rebekah Mussman in other Saline County attended a suicide prevention communities to participate, coalition hosted by Wilber-Clatonia including Crete, Dorchester and Public Schools. As she listened to Friend Public Schools. school counselor Amie Albrecht Amie says one of the biggest talk about the mental health needs barriers for families can be of students, Rebekah mentioned the cost of mental health care, that they would love to help in any especially for students who way they could. need long-term counseling. She and Amie came up with To address this concern, Amie a program to help address some has been working with Bryan of the barriers that can prevent Telemedicine and CAMC to students from receiving the help install equipment that will allow they need. students to receive consistent Before, if parents or teachers counseling at the school. They were concerned that a student are applying for grants to help might be suicidal, parents were fund the project. given the option to either drive “Our teachers are grateful 40 miles to Bryan Mental Health that we’ll be able to continue Emergency Room for an evaluation, moving these students forward or keep their child at home and and get them the help they monitor them on their own. Crete need,” says Amie. Area Medical Center, which is 13 Rebekah says the medical Rebekah Mussman of CAMC and school counselor Amie Albrecht developed a program to help Wilber-Clatonia miles north of Wilber, opened up center is excited about students who are experiencing mental health crises. mental health triage services to opportunities to partner with the youth through Bryan Telemedicine. schools. Rebekah points out CAMC “I’m hoping that it makes provides the triage service free of charge to students. some kind of impact for these students as they grow up,” she She and Amie also developed an information packet that says. is handed out at the screening, and it gives parents the option “It’s been really nice to be able to collaborate with the to sign disclosure forms to allow the hospital to communicate schools and act as a positive bridge between the resources. with schools. It’s developed into more conversations about needs and Previously, after a student was screened, the school access, and I think there’s definitely more to come as we wouldn’t receive any information about the student’s continue to work with the schools.” n
Bryan Journeys 27
