Virginia Commonwealth University’s Partnership for People with Disabilities, part of the School of Education, has been granted federal funding to improve mental health support in three Virginia school districts.
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The initiative, supported by a five-year, $7.2 million Project AWARE grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, will collaborate with Amelia, New Kent, and Pulaski counties. The project aims to develop and maintain a system that promotes mental health, enhances access to behavioral health services, and improves student outcomes.
Kim Dupre, Ed.D., director and principal investigator of Project AWARE Virginia, expressed enthusiasm for the project’s approach, stating, “We aren’t entering these communities with a predetermined solution. We will begin by listening, understanding what is already working, identifying needs alongside each division, and then building systems that make sense for their students, families, schools, and communities.”
Dupre will lead the project with the assistance of Kris Herakovich-Curtis, Ed.D., who will act as project manager. Initially, the team will collaborate with school division representatives and community services boards to identify existing strengths and gaps in resources, map available school and community assets, and craft tailored plans according to each division's specific needs.
The project will also provide coaching and professional development for educators and administrators, enhance mental health promotion strategies, improve screening and referral processes, and equip schools, families, and behavioral health providers with the necessary tools for effective collaboration.
The long-term objective is sustainability. Dupre noted that the aim is not to create services that cease after federal funding ends, but to enable divisions to develop essential people, partnerships, practices, and systems for ongoing success.
As the project progresses, the team aims to create a comprehensive school mental health implementation framework and toolkit, which will be shared to assist other school divisions in Virginia in strengthening their own mental health support systems.