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Michigan at a glance

4,224,425

people live in communities without enough providers

27%

of adults were unable to get needed counseling or therapy

39%

of adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression

Source: NAMI

119,000

Michiganders age 12-17 have depression

58%

of youth (12-17) with depression did not receive any care in the last year

A closer look at Wayne-Westland Community School District, MI

Challenges

Wayne-Westland Community School District has three family resource centers focused on mental health and basic needs such as housing and utilities. However, the district is short-staffed in all three centers. “We have openings that we are struggling to fill!” said Amanda Dybus, Family and Community Engagement Supervisor at WWCSD. Due to being short-staffed, as well as the increasing demand for mental health care, the district does not have the time or capacity to diligently walk families through the process to connect to community-based mental health care providers.

Solutions

Expansion of Staff Capacity

Care Solace takes on the time-consuming work of connecting individuals in need to help in the community. This support expands on WWCSD's existing resources and gives school staff peace of mind knowing a real person will connect their referrals to care. Dybus stated, “Care Solace is the best thing in the district right now. It’s a tool we can use immediately. It’s the only thing that can take things off our plate.”

Live Data and Valuable Insights

WWCSD has data for truancy, specific behavior, et cetera, but through Care Solace's software, district leaders can also gain critical insight into their community's mental health needs. This data provides WWCSD with valuable insights for actionable initiatives. “Anxiety is the top search. We have mental health libraries in all our resource centers, so we’re now looking for additional materials around anxiety.” said Dybus.

Live Data and Valuable Insights

Care Solace's Impact on WWCSD

Care Solace's 24/7/365 Care Companion™ team helped WWCSD coordinate care for their community facing mental health and substance use challenges.

"Our superintendent agreed this was the missing link, " said Dybus.

The following impact was made in six months, from January - June 2022:

16K+ communications saved

(i.e. calls, texts, emails) on the district's behalf. On average, each communication takes 6 min., which means Care Solace saved staff 5,700 full work weeks in 1 year.

40% booked an appointment

When using Care Solace compared to only 18%, on average, when a person navigates the mental health care system on their own due to barriers within the system.

23% had Medicaid or no insurance

Care Solace connected individuals to quality mental health care providers regardless of coverage.

28% from the BIPOC community

Care Solace provides access to care
for diverse communities.

Conclusion

Increasing mental health needs and led district leadership to seek a community wide solution. Working collaboratively with Care Solace, Wayne-Westland Community School District's team now has the capacity to ensure every community member in need has support to navigate the mental health care system and get connected to care.

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Wayne-Westland Community School District Case Study