By Edgar Garcia
02/13/2023
UTRGV was given a grant of 5.7 million dollars by the Texas Department of Education to assist local school districts with student’s mental health, with the end goal of instating 120 school psychologists, counselors and social workers across seven districts.
The program, Project MHS Access: Accessing Mental Health Services will put 24 school psychologist, counselors and social worker interns from UTRGV in seven school districts (Brownsville, McAllen, Edcouch-Elsa, PSJA, Sharyland, Harlingen and Mission) over the course of 5 years to help assist students with their mental health.
The grant money will primarily be used to fund the interns to maintain the program via stipend and reduce financial strain on the school district.
Professor of Practice at UTRGV Nancy Razo leads the project as its principal investigator and was one of the main factors in receiving the grant. She spoke on the importance and goals she has for the program and the potential benefit it can have on students from the Valley.
MHS Access is also led by UTRGV Assistant Professor Noe Ramos and Associate Professor of Counseling Suzanne Mannis. They, along with Razo, have high hopes for the program to assist students from diverse backgrounds with their mental health, which was one of the main objectives from the original grant.
Ramos is confident that the grant will succeed with their purpose in mind.
The mental health of students has been a subject of scrutiny in recent years and programs such as this will assist in keeping children mentally sound and healthy.
If you need help with mental health call the national mental health hotline 866-903-3787 or visit the UTRGV Counseling Center