Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) announced Friday that it has received a $90,000 grant from the Mary Washington Hospital Foundation to support behavioral healthcare services in Fredericksburg City Public Schools.
According to a press release announcing the grant funding, the money will allow RACSB to continue to provide a therapist for the school division. Additionally, the community services board will use the grant to provide comprehensive assessments— including screenings and referrals for treatment, care management, counseling services and family support services.
“These funds will allow us to provide a behavioral health supports program, which provides evidence-based, recovery-oriented treatment focused on youth,” RACSB Executive Director Joe Wickens said in the release. “We know that many students struggle with mental health issues, and this grant will help us address these challenges and provide the supports needed to help children in our community thrive.”
About half of Virginia middle and high school students reported a mental health need, with 20 percent saying they engage in self-harming behaviors and 12% saying they had considered ending their lives, according to a report by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia called “The Shape of Youth Mental Health in Virginia.”
“The American Academy of Pediatricians declared a national emergency in children’s mental health needs, and we see that need here in the Fredericksburg community,” Deputy Executive Director Brandie Williams said.
“In 2021, the Virginia Youth Survey found that 38 percent of respondents felt sad or hopeless every day for two or more weeks. Think about that for a minute: Young people with their futures in front of them feeling little to no hope. We felt compelled to address this, and our agency is grateful to the Hospital Community Foundation for partnering with us to help local students find the hope they desperately need.”
Disclaimer: Mary Washington Healthcare is a corporate sponsor of the Free Press. Sponsors do not influence newsroom decisions.
