H79SM087489

Aware in Mississippi (AIM) - Summary: Aware in Mississippi (Aware MS) is a partnership between the MS Department of Education (MDE), the MS Achievement School District (MASD), MS Department of Mental Health (MDH), our state's Federation of Families organization, community providers, and multiple programs across three MS universities (MSU, USM, UMMC). Aware MS aims to increase mental health awareness, foster resilience, and strengthen access to trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and family-driven mental health services and supports in Humphreys County and Yazoo City School Districts (the LEAs). Both districts are housed within the MASD, a distinct SEA that aims to transform persistently failing MS public schools.

Led by the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Aware MS will collaborate to develop and improve a school-based continuum of awareness, prevention, training, and service linkage and delivery focused on the MASD and primed to scale to other Mississippi LEAs across the state.

Population: 3250 school-aged youth (K-12) and 535 school staff in Humphreys and Yazoo City School Districts. Both MASD districts are located in the Mississippi (MS) Delta region, a rural and underserved region with significant rates of child adversity and poverty. MASD districts have significantly higher proportions of Black youth (Humphreys = 97%; Yazoo City = 98%) than state averages. Prevalence of childhood mental health (MH) disorders in MS is higher (20%) than U.S. estimates, and nearly 66% do not receive treatment—the worst rate in the U.S. Both MASD districts are in HRSA-designated mental health professional shortage areas.

Goal 1. Increase awareness and literacy among teachers, school-based staff, caregivers, and community organizations to identify and respond effectively to school-aged youth MH problems and co-occurring needs.

Key objectives: Implement MH awareness, suicide prevention and postvention programs; disseminate a trauma-informed toolkit for school staff and parents. Expected to reach a 4-year total of 2200 unique individuals.

Goal 2. Enhance resiliency and MH well-being for all school-aged youth through implementation of a social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum integrated into general curriculum and linked to school-wide implementation of trauma-informed principles.

Key objectives: Implement SEL curriculum and training with teachers to promote SEL in students. Offer trauma-informed trainings to youth-serving adults and parents. Expected to reach a 4-year total of 1830 unique individuals across students, teachers, school staff, and parents.

Goal 3. Improve a multi-tiered system of support via a robust suite of training and workforce capacity building activities to school staff and parents that provides MH promotion, prevention, and intervention services along a public health continuum to meet students' needs.

Key objectives: School-wide universal screening for MH, adverse childhood experiences and suicidality; implement suite of universal prevention programs; provide on-demand consultation and distance learning for mental health therapists. Expected to reach a 4-year total of 9100.

Goal 4. Increase and improve student and family access to culturally relevant, and trauma-informed school and community-based activities and services through a coordinated system of care across LEAs, community agencies, and LEA, SEA, and school-based policy development.

Key objectives: Coordinate community referral pathways, develop/implement (a) crisis response and (b) school safety and threat/violence prevention plan with multidisciplinary team. Expected to reach a 4-year total of 200 individuals.

University Of Mississippi Medical Center

SAMHSA WAS GIVEN THE AUTHORITY TO ADDRESS PRIORITY SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT, PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE THROUGH ASSISTANCE (GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS) TO STATES, POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS OF STATES, INDIAN TRIBES AND TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND OTHER PUBLIC OR NONPROFIT PRIVATE ENTITIES. UNDER THESE SECTIONS, CSAT, CMHS AND CSAP SEEK TO EXPAND THE AVAILABILITY OF EFFECTIVE SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT AND RECOVERY SERVICES AVAILABLE TO AMERICANS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF THOSE AFFECTED BY ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDITIONS, AND TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE ON INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETIES AND TO ADDRESS PRIORITY MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE AND ASSIST CHILDREN IN DEALING WITH VIOLENCE AND TRAUMATIC EVENTS THROUGH BY FUNDING GRANT AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT PROJECTS. GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS MAY BE FOR (1) KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION PROJECTS FOR TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION AND THE CONDUCT OR SUPPORT OF EVALUATIONS OF SUCH PROJECTS, (2) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, (3) TARGETED CAPACITY RESPONSE PROGRAMS (4) SYSTEMS CHANGE GRANTS INCLUDING STATEWIDE FAMILY NETWORK GRANTS AND CLIENT-ORIENTED AND CONSUMER RUN SELF-HELP ACTIVITIES AND (5) PROGRAMS TO FOSTER HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN, (6) COORDINATION AND INTEGRATION OF PRIMARY CARE SERVICES INTO PUBLICLY-FUNDED COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS AND OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SETTINGS

93.243 - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance

Division of Grants Management [HHS - SAMHSA]

Mississippi United States

State-Wide

Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) (SM-22-018)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been shortened from 12/30/26 to 09/29/26 and the total obligations have increased 50% from $3,598,228 to $5,396,542.