The Los Angeles County Office of Education
(LACOE), in partnership with L.A. Care Health Plan, Health Net,
their plan partners, and the Los Angeles County Department of
Mental Health, will make mental telehealth services available to
over one million K-12 public school students at no cost to families
through Hazel Health. L.A. Care Health Plan and Health Net
are allocating up to $24 million over
two years to cover the new service.
LOS
ANGELES, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los
Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), through a historic
partnership with L.A. Care Health Plan, Health Net, and
the L.A. County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH), is
poised to offer access to mental health services for L.A. County's
1.3 million K-12 public school students. The partnership with
school-based telehealth company Hazel Health will use virtual
care to deliver mental health support for all students, resulting
in shorter wait times to connect with qualified therapists, and
enabling earlier intervention.
To help make mental healthcare more accessible for students, all
Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in the county may opt-in to
participate in the Hazel Health virtual mental health program.
LEAs, such as Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and
Compton Unified School District, have already made the decision to
leverage this service. L.A. Care Health Plan and Health Net are
allocating up to $24 million to cover
the services for all LEAs over two years. Funding is made possible
by the Department of Health Care Services' Student Behavioral
Health Incentive Program (SBHIP), authorized by Governor
Gavin Newsom.
"This historic partnership will bring much-needed mental health
support to our students across the county," Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Debra Duardo said. "We continue
to see the devastating impact the pandemic has had on our
children's mental well-being. This crisis has called us to
collective action. As a mental health professional, I am keenly
aware that partnerships and collaboration across sectors are
necessary to meet our children's needs. We must remove barriers to
access and continue our efforts to destigmatize help-seeking around
mental health. We must also recognize that physical and mental
health is crucial to teaching and learning. I look forward to
continuing this critical work with our partners as we strive to
improve educational and life outcomes for all children."
"With unprecedented levels of trauma and stressors facing our
students, the need for timely and effective mental health support
has never been greater," Los Angeles Unified Superintendent
Alberto M. Carvalho said. "The
groundbreaking solutions in virtual care made possible by our
partnership with Los Angeles County will dramatically increase
our support capacity, ensuring all students are ready for the
world."
"We are excited about this endeavor and honored to have such
trusted partners join us in our efforts to ensure students receive
every support possible on their education journey. Providing access
to quality, responsive mental health services is not only important
for their academic success, it is also our moral imperative," said
Compton Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Darin Brawley.
According to the 2022 California Health Care Almanac, 1 in 14
children has an emotional disturbance that limits functioning in
family, school, or community activities. And according to the
California Master Plan for Kids' Public Health, over 284,000 youth
cope with major depression, and 66 percent of youth with depression
do not receive treatment. Alarmingly, suicide rates for kids age
10-18 increased 20 percent between 2019-2020.
"Even before COVID-19, the incidence of adolescent depression,
suicidal ideation, and emergency room visits was on the rise, and
mental health resources have not kept pace with rising levels of
student distress, depression, and traumatic experiences," said
John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. "L.A.
Care saw an opportunity to support the mental health needs of
members and students by leveraging telehealth to improve access to
prompt evaluation and treatment. We believe this initiative will
provide an accessible, expandable, and sustainable model to bring
mental health treatment to students across L.A. County."
"This significant expansion further demonstrates our commitment
to the residents of Los Angeles
County," said Brian Ternan,
President and CEO of Health Net. "Helping more children is why we
partner with agencies like the Los Angeles County Office of
Education, and local school districts, who dedicate every day to
the health and wellbeing of California's next generation of leaders. These
efforts to bring mental health support to youth builds on our
previous work with Hazel Health to increase their presence
throughout California. This
partnership is another large step in the journey to advancing
health equity for the state's most vulnerable residents."
Timely care is essential for early intervention and prevention.
Hazel's virtual mental health platform allows California-licensed therapists across the U.S.
to support students conveniently in school and at home. The
partners are committed to connecting students to therapists who
reflect and understand diverse populations. More than 60 percent of
Hazel Health therapists identify as people of color, and more than
30 percent are bilingual. This commitment to culturally competent
care is unique among service providers and reflects the LEAs'
commitment to equity and inclusion.
"Los Angeles County and its
partners are rallying together to respond to the growing needs of
our youth and the mental health crisis they face. Now, more than
ever, the LACDMH believes that providing timely, comprehensive, and
culturally responsive care to our community members requires a
multi-pronged approach," said Dr. Lisa H.
Wong, Interim Director for LACDMH. "As such, L.A. County has
led the efforts to expand services for youth through Hazel Health,
providing access to virtual mental health services in partnership
with schools. Hazel Health will provide students with less
intensive mental health services, allowing LACDMH providers
increased capacity to deliver intensive services to our most
vulnerable youth."
"Providing access to early intervention services,
systematically, at this scale has the potential to change the
trajectory for students struggling with mental health across L.A.
County," said Josh Golomb, Chief
Executive Officer at Hazel Health. "This model provides more
equitable access to care at an unprecedented rate for students from
families who may otherwise not benefit from it and can truly change
lives."
The program will deploy in a phased approach for all L.A. County
LEAs that choose to opt-in to the program. District leaders can
learn about the implementation process and next steps through
information sessions hosted by LACOE and Hazel Health in late
January and February.
The program with Hazel puts forth a new model of what
collaboration between public, private, and community stakeholders
makes possible.
About The Los Angeles County Office of Education
(LACOE)
The Los Angeles County Office of Education, based in
Downey, is the nation's largest
regional education agency, providing a range of services and
programs to support the region's 80 school districts and some two
million preschool and school-age children. To learn more about
LACOE, visit www.lacoe.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Los Angeles County Office of Education
(LACOE)
Van Nguyen, Public Information
Officer
nguyen_van@lacoe.edu
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SOURCE Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE)