04 Jul Blue Springs School District (BSSD) Receives $40,000 Grant from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City

Blue Springs School District (BSSD) recently received a grant for $40,000 from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City (now the Health Forward Foundation) to support mental health assessments, individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, and on-site case management.

The first signs of mental illness for students often emerge in the school environment, placing school districts in a unique position to address existing mental health issues and potentially prevent or alleviate the negative ramifications of untreated mental illness that students could potentially face as adults.  The program not only provides mental health services but will also teach students to: learn and continuously improve their own health, use the school environment as a place to recognize their triggers, self-adjust, and recognize resources to help them improve their mental and emotional well-being. Students will ultimately learn decision-making skills to take care of themselves beyond school.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for teens in the United States and has grown more acute in recent years.  Students experience significant stigma associated with accessing mental health services, which is especially strong as it relates to suicide, ongoing mental health therapy, and hospitalization. This stigma often leads to undiagnosed and untreated mental health disorders, which compounds underlying mental health issues. Without treatment, these disorders worsen over time, leading to more adverse outcomes for people living with the disorder(s), which in turn often accentuates social stigmas, contributing to the vicious cycle of untreated illness and deteriorating health. This is particularly true of illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder which are often episodic in nature.  BSSD is not only in a unique position to help students struggling with behavioral and mental health issues but is mission-mandated to do so. The purpose of our counseling services is for students to “function as…literate citizen[s] to achieve personal goals.”

BSSD is located on the eastern edge of the Kansas City metro area in Jackson County and covers a total of 58 square miles. There are more than 4,500 students in grades 9-12 and more than 14,600 students total. The District has received accreditation with distinction from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for 15 consecutive years. Historically, the district has served the growing population of eastern Jackson County.