Steps are being made toward better access to mental health care for students in Ohio and will include virtual counseling sessions.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted announced a telehealth pilot project that will connect K12 students in the Switzerland School District in Monroe County with their mental health counselors. By using telehealth counseling sessions, the students get the services they need right at the moment they need it.
Husted says, “We have a workforce shortage of behavioral health specialists and some of the ways that we can connect schools to these councilors is through video conferencing telehealth services. It’s just one way of boosting their productivity and helping children get access to the adults and the services they need.”
The second phase of the project is to be able to connect students directly to an outside health professional for additional services outside of school. The goal is to expand telehealth systems to other schools across Ohio.
