Howard County Investing $2.1M To Expand Student Access To Mental Health Resources

Howard County will use $2.1 million to expand mental health services in its public school system, which educates a total of nearly 58,000 students. During a Wednesday news conference at Patapsco Middle School in Ellicott City, County Executive Calvin Ball said the funding will fill a gap for children and families who have historically had difficulty getting access to mental health resources. “Everyone deserves the same access to mental health care,” Ball said.  Of the funding, $1.7 million will go toward the school-based mental health program over the next two years. Among other things, the program aims to make social workers available in all 77 of the county’s public schools to increase access.