H79SM088065

Advancing Behavioral Health & Wellness in the Manchester, NH School District - Advancing Behavioral Health & Wellness in the Manchester, NH School District.

The Manchester School District, through Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education), is committed to improving outcomes for youth in its schools by implementing NH's Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Behavioral Health and Wellness (MTSS-B).

In collaboration with community partners, the school district will implement tiered supports in the schools from prevention through intervention that support students with mental health, substance misuse, and school safety.

The Manchester School District is the largest urban school district in New Hampshire and has twenty-one (21) schools, including 13 elementary, 4 middle, and 4 high schools serving 12,508 students, with 51.18% of the population considered to be economically disadvantaged.

The schools boast diversity, with 49.2% of the district's enrollment being students of color and over 18.11% of students are English language learners.

Mental health and school safety is a rising area of concern for students across the nation, and the Manchester School District recognizes this critical need through its application for Project AWARE.

Over a period of five years, the project will:

1) Implement a three-tiered public health model (MTSS-B framework) in all 21 schools in the Manchester School District to support student behavioral health, reduce incidents of exclusionary discipline and school violence, and increase the high school completion rate.

2) Increase protective factors for students with systemic training for all school district staff in mental health promotion and trauma awareness, and through the implementation of district and community messaging, systems, and behavioral health integration to reduce stigma and increase help-seeking behaviors in students and families to improve access to behavioral health services.

3) Decrease the percentage of youth who are vaping regularly by implementing evidence-based programming and prevention education in middle and high schools (6,540 students) that informs staff and students of the impacts of vaping on physical health.

MTSS-B is a school-based behavioral health framework that blends positive behavior interventions and supports, social-emotional learning, and evidence-based practices from prevention through intervention, in collaboration with community partners to target behavioral health integration and improve access to services using a behavioral health equity lens.

Professional development for administrators and school teachers in school-wide mental health promotion, peer conflict resolution, and building positive relationships will set a strong foundation to address school wellness and safety.

Evidence-based interventions for students in need of brief intervention support for trauma, mental health, and substance misuse will be available to all students.

A mental health clinician will be placed in each high school, along with a person-centered planning intervention to support students at risk of not completing high school.

This project will serve the Manchester School District student population by:

1) Establishing school-based teams for behavioral health prevention and targeted intervention in all schools across the district.

2) Forming a behavioral health integration team at the district level to support school-based teams.

3) Implementing a screening process in all schools to connect students to services as early as possible.

4) Establishing brief intervention services in all schools for mental health and substance misuse.

5) Launching a community and district-wide campaign to raise mental health awareness and support school safety.

6) Providing professional development to staff in systems and practices aligned to the MTSS-B framework.

Manchester School District

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]

Manchester, New Hampshire 031023975 United States

Single Zip Code

Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) Program (SM-23-001)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 216% from $1,290,600 to $4,074,433.