CRETE AREA MEDICAL CENTER Local students benefit fr om mental health assessments

Local students benefit from mental health assessments

Crete Area Medical Center is partnering with schools in surrounding communities to make sure students have access to mental health care when they need it. Last year, Crete Area Medical Center CEO Rebekah Mussman attended a suicide prevention coalition hosted by Wilber-Clatonia Public Schools. As she listened to school counselor Amie Albrecht talk about the mental health needs of students, Rebekah mentioned that they would love to help in any way they could.

She and Amie came up with a program to help address some of the barriers that can prevent students from receiving the help they need.

Before, if parents or teachers were concerned that a student might be suicidal, parents were given the option to either drive 40 miles to Bryan Mental Health Emergency Room for an evaluation, or keep their child at home and monitor them on their own. Crete Area Medical Center, which is 13 miles north of Wilber, opened up mental health triage services to youth through Bryan Telemedicine. Rebekah points out CAMC provides the triage service free of charge to students.

She and Amie also developed an information packet that is handed out at the screening, and it gives parents the option to sign disclosure forms to allow the hospital to communicate with schools.

Previously, after a student was screened, the school wouldn’t receive any information about the student’s situation, which made it difficult for teachers and counselors to help with follow-up care.

Since partnering with Wilber-Clatonia in May of 2019, CAMC has invited schools in other Saline County communities to participate, including Crete, Dorchester and Friend Public Schools.

Amie says one of the biggest barriers for families can be the cost of mental health care, especially for students who need long-term counseling. To address this concern, Amie has been working with Bryan Telemedicine and CAMC to install equipment that will allow students to receive consistent counseling at the school. They are applying for grants to help fund the project.

“Our teachers are grateful that we’ll be able to continue moving these students forward and get them the help they need,” says Amie.

Rebekah says the medical center is excited about opportunities to partner with the schools.

“I’m hoping that it makes some kind of impact for these students as they grow up,” she says.

“It’s been really nice to be able to collaborate with the schools and act as a positive bridge between the resources. It’s developed into more conversations about needs and access, and I think there’s definitely more to come as we continue to work with the schools.” n Rebekah Mussman of CAMC and school counselor Amie Albrecht developed a program to help Wilber-Clatonia students who are experiencing mental health crises.