School district, pediatric urgent care partner to provide mental health services

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A partnership between the Baldwin Union Free School District and PM Pediatrics Care is designed to provide mental health services to the district’s students, from elementary to high school.

The district is launching the Baldwin Schools Wellness Center, and aims to enhance resources for students and families.

In partnership with PM Pediatric Care and located at the Baldwin Middle School, the center is designed to provide immediate access to behavioral health care and resources dedicated to mental wellness for students from elementary through high school. It will offer flexible hours, both during and after school. The approach aims to support students’ whole health needs while optimizing their learning experiences.

“Nurturing the ‘whole child’ continues to be a key focus for the Baldwin School District,” Dr. Shari Camhi, superintendent of schools for Baldwin School District, said in a written statement.

“We understand that to provide a well-rounded, high-quality education, we must first ensure our student’s emotional wellness,” Camhi added.

The new wellness center got its start with a grant from then-U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice. Its opening comes at a time when the mental and behavioral health of school-aged children, including substance use disorders and overall emotional well-being, are a public health concern, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Studies show that students who are both physically and mentally healthy are more likely to excel in all aspects of academic achievement, including academic performance, education behavior, and cognitive skills and attitudes.

The center in Baldwin, Camhi said, “is a significant step” in ensuring students’ emotional wellness.

She said the center would benefit not only the school district, but also the Baldwin community.

“Through this new resource, we will foster a positive and nurturing environment that promotes emotional and academic well-being for everyone involved,” Camhi said.

“We are extremely proud to be among the first school districts in the nation to offer such comprehensive services at no cost to our families directly onsite,” Camhi said. “Thank you to our Board of Education, administrators, the Pupil Services department, all of our staff who helped bring this to fruition, as well as our partners at PM Pediatric Care. We look forward to seeing the Baldwin Schools Wellness Center’s continued success.”

The services provided include onsite, licensed pediatric and adolescent behavioral health professionals offering evidence-based therapeutic care. It will also include a team of school nurses, counselors and district personnel to deliver quality mental and behavioral health services. It will offer crisis consultation and management, individual and group therapy, creative arts therapy, assessment and behavioral interventions and professional development for school personnel. And it will offer safe and comfortable counseling rooms, a mindfulness area, transition room and academic tutoring space.