Project Grant H79SM087491

ESU 2 ALL CHILDREN CELEBRATED, EDUCATED, SAFE, AND SECURE (ACCESS) PROJECT AWARE 2022 - EDUCATIONAL SERVICE UNIT 2 (ESU2) IS IN FREMONT, NE AND SERVES 16 SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN BURT, CUMING, DODGE, SUNDERS, AND PARTS OF LANCASTER COUNTIES. ESU 2 WILL PARTNER WITH OUR 16 DISTRICTS, THE NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, OUR REGIONAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEMS, LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE DELIVERY AGENCIES, AND LOCAL UNIVERSITIES TO BUILD A CAPACITY AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THROUGH EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES. THROUGH THIS PROJECT, OVER 12,000 STUDENTS, THEIR FAMILIES AND 958 TEACHERS WILL BE IMPACTED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF ESU 2 ACCESS PROJECT AWARE. MENTAL HEALTH IS HEALTH. THIS IS THE RALLYING CRY FOR MEMBERS OF THE ESU 2 ACCESS TEAM. CHARGED WITH SUPPORTING THE EVER-INCREASING REQUESTS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL SUPPORTS FROM SCHOOLS, ESU 2 ASSEMBLED TEAM ACCESS. ACCESS STANDS FOR ALL CHILDREN CELEBRATED, EDUCATED, SAVE, AND SECURE. THE PROJECT GOALS INCLUDE: 1) PREVENT DEVELOPMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS AMONG STUDENTS AT EACH DISTRICT BY PROVIDING A POSITIVE, SUPPORTIVE, AND TRAUMA-INFORMED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT; 2) INCREASE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENT SKILLS FOSTERING RESILIENCE AND PRO-SOCIAL BEHAVIORS AT EACH DISTRICT THROUGH STRNGTH-BASED APPROACHES AND/OR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL); 3) INCREASE THE SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS AT EACH DISTRICT SITE; 4) INCREASE EACH DISTRICT'S CAPACITY TO IDENTIFY AND IMMEDIATELY RESPOND TO THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF STUDENTS EXHIBITING BEHAVIORAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL SIGNS REQUIRING CLINICAL INTERVENTION; AND 5) ESTABLISH SCHOOL-BASED, CULTURALLY RELEVANT, AND EVIDENCE-BASED SUICIDE AWARENESS, PREVENTION, AND POSTVENTION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS. THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED, TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES IN MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING, ASSESSMENT, INTERVENTIONS, AND TREATMENT, UP TO 13,000 STUDENTS WILL BE SERVED THROUGH THE PROJECT EACH YEAR.