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CONSIDERATION OF A FUNDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 259 AND COMCARE IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,029,000 FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDED TO CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES.
Presented by: Joan M. Tammany, LMLP, COMCARE Executive Director.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve the funding agreement, authorize the Chairman to sign the establishment of budget authority as provided in the Financial Considerations section of this Request, and implementation of the Staffing Table changes identified in the Personnel Considerations section of this Request.
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Program Summary and Timeline: The 2018 Legislature budgeted funds for a mental health intervention pilot program between six school districts and community mental health centers in Kansas. USD 259 and COMCARE were selected as the partnering organizations in Sedgwick County in year one of the pilot program. The Behavioral Health Intervention Teams will consist of a school liaison employed by the participating school district and master level clinicians/therapists and bachelor level case managers employed by the participating community mental health center. In Wichita, COMCARE will embed teams within 22 of the USD 259 district schools and shall be staffed by 34 clinicians/therapists and 45 case managers with a target to serve 800 youth in the first year. In order to accommodate the staffing needs for this program COMCARE will need 81 full time positions, of which 57 are being requested as additions to the staffing table. COMCARE will transfer 24 exiting positions to this fund source.
The goal of the program is to improve the social-emotional wellness and outcomes for students by increasing schools' access to treatment providers. The pilot will identify and provide interventions for two groups of youth. One group consists of the Children in Need of Care and/or in State custody who have experienced multiple placements and have behavioral health needs. The second group consists of youth who are not in State cus...
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