SBH Awarded Additional Funding for School-Based Mental Health Services

Last week, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) awarded funding to ten Community Services Boards (CSBs) totaling $6.8 million for school-based mental health services.

This funding arrives at a time when there is an increased need for integrated school-based services as nationwide rates of depression and anxiety among children are rising. On Tuesday night, President Biden spoke of the national mental health crisis in his State of the Union speech. This comes after U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a Surgeon General’s Advisory to highlight the urgent need to address the nation’s youth mental health crisis in December of 2021.

The funding comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The funds are one-time Mental Health Block Grant funds under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021.

The ten CSBs receiving funding are:
• Planning District One CSB
• Fairfax CSB
• Horizon Behavioral Health
• Western Tidewater CSB
• Henrico Mental Health and Developmental Services
• New River Valley CSB
• Crossroads CSB
• Region Ten CSB
• Richmond Behavioral Health Authority
• Southside Behavioral Health

*This article was originally published on the VA Department of Behavioral Health’s Facebook page