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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 saw a massive increase in mental health service requests post-COVID. With the increasing demand for mental health care, the district was finding it difficult to diligently walk families through the process of connecting students to community-based mental health care providers, for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest issues they faced was trying to navigate a complicated mental health system, with limited resources. Families seeking services needed additional assistance- someone to walk them through the often difficult process of being connected to care.

Solutions

Expansion of Staff Capacity

Care Solace handles the time-consuming task of connecting individuals in need to community assistance. This support complements WWCSD's existing resources and provides school staff with peace of mind, as they know a real person will connect their referrals to care. Faughnan stated, “Care Solace is one of the best things in the district right now. It’s a tool we can use immediately. By having this program, this takes a heavy load off of our staff.”

Live Data and Valuable Insights

WWCSD has data on truancy, specific behaviors, and more. Through Care Solace's software, district leaders can gain critical insights into their community's mental health needs. This data equips WWCSD with valuable insights for actionable initiatives. "Anxiety is the top search. We have mental health libraries in our school buildings, so we’re now looking for additional materials around anxiety," said Faughnan.

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.

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 Faughnan.

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