A Push for More Funding for Mental Health Needs for the Young
As state, local, and school officials look to next year’s budgets, Adam Fine, the principal of East Hampton High School, is hopeful that South Fork students will have continued access to an array of mental health services first unveiled in September.
Following an unprecedented pooling of resources, students have had access to a full-time social worker and an as-needed child and adolescent psychiatrist. All told, the South Fork Behavioral Health Initiative, a task force made up of state and local legislators, school administrators, and community members working to help increase access to mental health services, secured more than $250,000 to fund the first phase of the proposal.
On Feb. 6, during a meeting at Southampton Hospital, Mr. Fine and Ralph Naglieri, the school psychologist, updated officials concerning the first phase of implementation.
“We couldn’t be happier,” said Mr. Fine. “It’s working.”
From September until now, Mr. Naglieri said, around 45 high school students have received referrals to meet with the full-time social worker, who is employed by the Family Service League, which operates a clinic in East Hampton. He said that 22 referrals resulted in a crisis situation in which a child was demonstrating thoughts of suicide and was consequently given a psychiatric evaluation.
Of the 22 students, Mr. Naglieri said that 9 high school students required short-term hospitalizations. A majority of the 22 referrals were high school students, but a small number were students from the John M. Marshall Elementary School and East Hampton Middle School.
Last year, by comparison, 15 students at East Hampton High School were hospitalized.
Across South Fork school districts, mental health issues have taken on increasing urgency, particularly since David Hernandez, an East Hampton junior, committed suicide in 2012. Last fall, a recent high school graduate became the fifth young person on the South Fork to take his or her own life since 2009.
Looking ahead to next year, the Town of East Hampton has already pledged $25,000, according to Larry Cantwell, the East Hampton Town supervisor. Mr. Fine will soon approach the East Hampton School Board with hopes of securing $10,000. Last year, the board approved $5,000.
“There’s a really strong need for better mental health services throughout the town, but especially for the school-age population,” said Mr. Cantwell. “When you understand the issues that they face with mental health and students, it’s critical that these services be available on the East End.”
Mr. Naglieri attributes the high numbers of referrals to issues of distance and geography, with local schools serving as proxies for psychiatric care centers. In future years, he hopes that some of the funding might look at prevention — particularly what’s causing an increasing number of students to suffer from depression and talk about self-injury.
“The numbers might be up, but people are realizing that the school has supports and we’re making people more aware that we can get them help,” said Mr. Fine. “And now we have more resources to help kids.”
The second phase of the proposal would ensure the hiring of additional social workers and community health workers. It also proposes a mobile unit that could travel to areas of immediate need. The third and final phase would bring Stony Brook psychiatrists to Southampton Hospital as part of an expanded residency program.
From politicians to hospital administrators to mental health workers, Mr. Fine is humbled by the level of dedication devoted to tackling an issue often relegated to the sidelines.
“This is a model for other regions,” said Mr. Fine. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“They’ve heard our message loud and clear,” said Mr. Naglieri.