Luminis Health Receives $1.6 M State Grant to Address Teenage Mental Health Crisis

Health System will partner with Prince George’s County Public Schools to Offer Services and Training at High Schools

(Lanham, Maryland) February 20, 2024- In response to the increasing demand for mental health services among young people, Luminis Health has been awarded a $1.6 million grant from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission. The non-profit regional health system will collaborate with Prince George’s County Public Schools by implementing comprehensive support services at six high schools.

As part of the grant, Luminis Health will hire and deploy mental health providers directly to the schools, collaborating with school counselors to offer vital support to students and parents. These embedded providers will rotate through the schools, providing education and training to students, parents, and teachers, ensuring access to evidence-based screening tools for identifying individual needs and strengths on an ongoing basis.

“Our mental health matters, and today’s teenagers are grappling with a mental health crisis of unprecedented proportions,” said Dr. Aliya Jones, executive medical director of Behavioral Health at Luminis Health. “By partnering with school counselors, teachers, parents and students, we can build strong bonds and connect with teenagers, fostering an environment of support for their mental health well-being and facilitating their growth.”

In addition to placing mental health providers with expertise in adolescents within the schools, Luminis Health plans to implement a multifaceted approach to support students’ mental well-being. This includes training teachers to recognize warning signs of mental health issues and equipping them with the tools to provide appropriate support and referrals. Furthermore, students themselves will receive training on how to identify signs of distress in their classmates and provide effective peer support.

Luminis Health has forged a strategic partnership with Prince George’s County Public Schools to ensure equitable access to care where it’s needed most. Through close collaboration with administrators, six high schools have been identified as priority locations for this initiative:

• Parkdale High School in Riverdale Park
• DuVal High School in Lanham
• Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt
• Northwestern High School in Hyattsville
• Bowie High School in Bowie
• Chesapeake Math and IT Academy North High School in Laurel

Over the next few months, Luminis Health will recruit team members to support the services funded by the grant, including clinicians, therapists, addiction counselors, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses. The health system will begin working directly with school personnel in June, with plans to roll out the comprehensive services for students in the upcoming school year.

“Over the past 4 years, Luminis Health has invested $110 million at Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center (LHDCMC) in Lanham, including opening a new Behavioral Health Pavilion to provide comprehensive mental health services,” said Tori Bayless, CEO of Luminis Health. “We extend our sincere appreciation to the State and County for their support in advancing our mission of enhancing the health of people we serve. These communities will benefit directly from this grant by expanding mental health options in Prince George’s County and enhancing accessibility by bringing programs directly into our schools.”

The grant will additionally cover extended hours at the Behavioral Health Urgent Care walk-in clinic at LHDCMC, offering treatment for non-life-threatening mental health needs for individuals of all ages.

The Maryland Community Health Resources Commission approved 129 grant awards totaling $111 million to expand access to comprehensive behavioral use services for children, kindergarten through high school, in every jurisdiction in Maryland.  Funding to support these new programs was made available by the Maryland General Assembly under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.