California has invested more than $4 billion over five years to expand mental health support for services for kids and teens, including here on the Central Coast.
The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, launched by Governor Gavin Newsom, aims to ensure students have access to support for stress, anxiety, and other challenges that can affect learning. Additionally, the initiative also allows schools to bill for services like counseling and wellness coaches through Medi-Cal and private insurers.
San Luis Coastal Unified is the first school district in San Luis Obispo County to participate.
Melanie Crawford, a director with the County Office of Education says the program helps schools maintain key behavioral health positions.
“The fee schedule is really the first of its kind pathway for school districts to bill private insurance or medical for students behavioral health supports that we've been providing already,” Crawford said.
Crawford added that until now, school districts relied on short-term COVID relief and grants to fund these services.
“As some of those grant dollars go away, those one-time COVID dollars have gone away, districts are having to make really hard decisions about how to use their budgets. And so this is a new way in which districts can—with parent consent—bill private health insurance for certain services that we currently provide.”
The state money supports workforce training and start-up costs, while reimbursements from Medi-Cal and private insurers create a funding stream for services already being delivered in schools. Families are not billed and their coverage will not be affected, said Crawford.
The initiative ensures students can continue receiving support in school and improves access to mental health services for the community. Two additional county districts also plan to join this fall.
