Henrico County and Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) are implementing the Henrico CARES plan with the goal to increase availability of mental health services in schools and to expand efforts of prevention, support, and early and intensive intervention for youth mental health, substance abuse and violence.

The Henrico CARES plan stands for Coordination, Access to prevention and Responsive Early and intensive interventions, and Systems navigation. The plan was developed over the past seven months by a committee including representatives of Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services (MHDS), HCPS, mental health care providers, psychiatric, pediatric and primary care providers, and families with experience navigating the youth mental health care system.

Youth mental health is a growing concern nationally and locally. In 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a National State of Emergency in Children’s Mental Health. Virginia ranks 48th in the nation in access to youth mental health care, according to Mental Health America. Additionally, 38.2% of Virginia’s youths reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks, 20.5% seriously considered attempting suicide within the past year and 16.4% made a plan about how they would attempt suicide, according to the 2021 Virginia Youth Survey.

HCPS has seen a 42% increase in suicide-risk screenings completed by school-based mental health providers in the last three years. So far in 2024, MHDS is seeing a 30% increase in youths requesting same-day access to services, with 20% younger than age 10, 7% considered at an elevated risk of suicide and 26% acknowledging substance use.

“Henrico CARES is our call to action,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Tyrone E. Nelson, of the Varina District. “We recognized a need to modernize and strengthen our youth mental health services once the Henrico Youth Violence Prevention Committee started its work in late 2021. An issue this complex and important requires buy-in from all stakeholders, and we’ve got it.”

The Henrico CARES plan is recommended to be implemented in phases with full funding after five years. Henrico’s costs would start at $1.8 million in fiscal year 2024-25 and would increase incrementally to $5 million in fiscal year 2028-29. The county’s investment would total $17.8 million during that period.

Recommendations for the Henrico CARES plan include increased clinical staffing to expand access to parent-child interaction therapy, a screening program for early identification of students who may need additional social, emotional and mental health care support, and expanded curriculum and training to strengthen mental health literacy among students, staff, parents and caregivers.

Other recommendations include no-cost, short-term mental health 'tele-therapy' for middle and high school students at home or school, and a virtual mental health care coordination service that offers a federal- and state-compliant referral system with 24/7 access to a live, multilingual care coordinator and a self-service tool to find verified providers.

Henrico CARES complements other local efforts to support youth health, safety and well-being. Henrico County partnered with St. Joseph’s Villa and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to open the first Crisis Receiving Center for youths in Central Virginia. The county also collaborated with regional partners to hold the second-annual Teen Summit RVA, designed to inspire, uplift and celebrate youth through self-affirmation.

“By strengthening our youth mental health care system, we also can reduce unwanted outcomes that are often associated with unaddressed social, emotional and mental health needs of school-aged youth,” said Liz Parker, HCPS director of student support and wellness. “These include chronic absenteeism, learning disruptions, behavioral challenges that result in disciplinary action, lower academic achievement and higher dropout rates. Henrico CARES is paving the way to a high-quality youth mental health care system that is comprehensive, accessible and equipped for the 21st century.”