The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Kansas Medicaid secured $2.5 million for school-based services, including funding for in-school mental health services, increased outreach and enrolling more families in Medicaid.
The goal of the grant, announced by KDHE, is to increase Medicaid health care services for children and their families within schools, which now includes services specifically for mental health.
Before this grant, students could receive services primarily for speech or occupational therapy as part of an individualized education plan. Now, schools can focus on an even bigger population of students, as well as advancing opportunities for mental health services.
“Before, this was written into your IEP, and that’s it,” Murnan said. “Which was great for speech occupational therapy services, but didn’t fit that need for behavioral health services. The vision of the federal government is to help improve school safety and also behavioral health opportunities for kids and families by using the school as the conduit.”
“School districts struggle with providing social and emotional support to kids, (and) this will allow for more services to be reimbursed,” Murnan said. “It’s kind of the right place, right time, right relationship model.”
The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund spent two months applying for the grant, as well as gathering support and research from other organizations around Kansas.
“This is really a win for all schools across the state,” said David Jordan, president of the organization. “It will help modernize Kansas schools’ Medicaid program, and open up an opportunity for schools to be reimbursed and offer new services to more kids.”
Rather than give potential resources to families, the grant will allow for students to get a wide variety of health care services right in their own school.
“This will help more children get access to health care services by accessing the services during the school day,” said KDHE spokeswoman Jill Bronaugh. “After the school day ends, families may not have transportation, know where the services are or the support to access the needed services. When health care services are delivered during the school day, it normalizes the experience for the child.”
Greenbush Education Service Center community supports director Monica Murnan, a former state legislator, works directly with Medicaid billing for schools as well as in special education. She said this grant will make services in schools a more streamlined process.
“The grant sends a message to the state saying, ‘Let’s make this easier to get these important services to kids,’ ” Murnan said. “For many children, school is where they receive health care services. If the school can support that through funding from the federal government, it seems to be a good use of our time to figure out how to do that.”
“KDHE receives a number of grants to improve the health of Kansans, but I think this is sort of the first of its kind,” Jordan said. “It would allow for direct therapy, care coordination and other services to be provided in schools by professionals.”
Murnan said this as an opportunity for expansion moving forward.
Although the grant will bring more funding into school health services than ever before, Jordan believes this is only a step in the right direction for Kansas health.
“Our hope is that Kansas is able to take advantage of federal grants and to bring dollars back to improve the health of Kansans,” Jordan said. “And improve our Medicaid program so that we’re better supporting our most vulnerable Kansans and improving health.”