February 5th, 2024
Understanding the profound impact of mental wellness, Grand Island Public Schools (GIPS) has taken an innovative step forward by partnering with two organizations, The Cook Center and Care Solace, to help remove barriers in accessing mental health care. The collaboration provides GIPS district families and staff with access to vital wellness resources at no cost.
“Having easy access to meaningful wellness resources makes a difference.” Dr. Summer Stephens, GIPS Associate Superintendent, said, “We live in a time where human emotions and behaviors can emerge in all of us, not just our children. Having support in how we address those behaviors or frustrations can help. As a district, we want to support families in ways that align our efforts and create consistency between school and home while also creating balance in the lives of our staff. These resources will do just that so that we ensure that all of our learners and families thrive!”
The Cook Center for Human Connection provides free mental health resources through Parent Guidance for parents and staff. Cook Center resources provide access to trained coaches and licensed therapists in a number of ways:
- Live webinars
- 1:1 parent coaching
- Recorded courses on topics such as depression, anxiety, and grief
Our first free Grand Island Webinar will be February 6th from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
The Topic: Grief: The Healing Process After Loss.
Registration is free and open to GIPS Families, Staff, and Students. Details may be found at https://www.gips.org/familywellness.
The district is also partnering with Care Solace to provide mental health and substance abuse care coordination support. As a central hub of care, Care Solace streamlines communication and coordination to connect individuals with the right resources and appropriate level of care. Individuals seeking mental health care now have a trusted companion to rely on.
With a network of thousands of providers, Care Solace will help families and staff find the right help at the right time, 24/7/365, at no cost to them. They will connect people with providers accepting all medical insurances, including Medicaid,Medicare, and sliding scale options for those without insurance. They can help through a number of languages too.
GIPS school Social Workers and Counselors can also help provide additional information and support to families who may have any questions.
More free wellness and parent resources will be made available throughout the Spring and Summer. Information about The Cook Center and Care Solace may be found on the GIPS district website here: https://www.gips.org/familywellness.
