Edgecumbe College apart of $10m health service fund
An Eastern Bay of Plenty secondary school will benefit from a $10million preventative health program for its students.
Edgecumbe College is among 22 decile 3 secondary schools who will be providing new school based health services this term.
The program is apart of the Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project, where over 8,000 more secondary school students will be able to see a registered nurse or access other health services at school if they need it.
The National-led government already funds around $5.6 million per year for a school nursing service in 135 decile one and two secondary schools, alternative education facilities and teen parent units.
The expanded services will be offered to all 47 decile 3 secondary schools resulting in new or improved school based services at a cost of $10 million over the four years. This will bring the total of young people eligible to around 56,000.
Minister of Health, Tony Ryall says school based health services include promotional health campaigns - and a Wellness Check in year nine for every student.
"That’s a physical check-up but there’s also an assessment of each young person’s mental well-being. This covers areas such as home-life, eating, activities, drugs, sexuality, suicide and depression.
The Prime Minister’s $62 million Youth Mental Health Project is also investing $23 million over four years into expanding mental health funding to provide more services for young people aged 12 to 19 years in the community.
This includes:
- Expanding primary mental health services provided through District Health Boards and Primary Health Organisations.
- Ensuring Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and Alcohol and Other Drug Services reduce their wait times and improve post-discharge follow-ups, to ensure young people get better care.
- Reviewing how the referral system is working across the youth mental health system.
- Establishing online E-therapy
"Together this group of changes will expand access to mental health treatment for young people, while ensuring services work much better," says Mr Ryall.
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