The North Dakota Department of Human Services’ Behavioral Health Division announced Wednesday that it has awarded funding for a behavioral health school pilot project to Simle Middle School in Bismarck. The division received 13 applications from schools and districts across the state.
Almost one quarter of all North Dakota middle school students (23.6 percent) and one third of all North Dakota high school students (28.9 percent) participating in the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported feeling so sad or hopeless every day for more than two weeks during the past year that they stopped doing their usual activities. And,13.5 percent of North Dakota high school students reported having attempted suicide one or more times in the past year (YRBS, 2017).
“The focus of this pilot project on prevention and early intervention is an important one and a great first step. However, the need for treatment and recovery supports in the community is still evident,” said Pamela Sagness, director of the Behavioral Health Division. “We look forward to continued opportunities to bridge the gap between the behavioral health and education systems.”