Baton Rouge – Hurricane Response Health Care Centers in Schools

Holley Galland MD MPHSue Catchings, CHES

East Baton Rouge Parish School System

46,000 students – baseline 88 schools 6000 registered after Katrina 5000 have attended 2 new schools just for evacuees

Mental health services

Safe and Drug Free Schools Program

(I CARE) Run by educators Average time at a school = ½ to 1

day a week focus – prevention of substance

abuse

School Counselors

Hired through I CARE Supervised by school principal In elementary – do skills sessions Middle and high – scheduling Want to do more counseling

Special Children’s Services

Assessment teams Social workers and psychologists Focus on children with special

needs

Others:

Child Welfare and Attendance Outside agencies – B&G club, Big

Buddy

Health Care Centers in Schools/CSH

8 school health centers each has full time social worker just work in one school

school nurse program 36 nurses 20 school health assistants

Katrina Response: Show up at a shelter or field hospital Public Mental Health System

Meetings Teams in shelters – assessment, programs,

referral School meetings coordinated by I CARE

Players: all of the above plus BR Crisis Intervention

Issues: volunteers, assessment, curriculum, process, collaboration, school administration buy in

Products:

intake forms for physical and mental health used by counselors and school nurses

revised assessment tool from DISD follow up form CTSN 2 pager – in format revision psychological first aid packet for

schools

Plan:

assessment by whoever can at building level

Follow up by counselors, mental health providers

Coordination by I CARE and the collaborative

Baton Rouge Area Foundation – HCCS/CSH

$100,000 for temporary MH workers We have 5 in the field using the DISD

revised assessment This is by invitation from the principal Consents required Forms kept confidential – school nurse

files available

Challenges/discussions

General stress of everyone in Baton Rouge

State budget cuts New collaborations Behavioral health consents Ongoing funding Getting decent data for follow up

Questions

Just Katrina kids or all kids? Household crowding Poverty Jealousy

How soon to do psych screen? How to get more resources/ share