Harder Announces Nearly $1 Million for Mental Health Services in Central Valley Schools

WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Josh Harder announced that  La Familia Central Valley (previously “First Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center'', LFCV) has been awarded a highly competitive grant for $998,654 through the Department of Justice’s “Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence” program. This three year STOP Violence Grant will allow LFCV to add new mental health treatment services to schools in two Central Valley school districts: Delhi Unified School District (DUSD) and Hughson Unified School District (HUSD).

“Mental health is a crisis in our community, and nowhere is it more concentrated than among our students,” said Rep. Harder. “I’m proud to bring home this nearly $1 million grant so we can train and hire mental health clinicians to work directly in our schools with our kids. This grant will allow us to reach our most at-risk students earlier, potentially changing the course of their entire lives.”

“This grant will bring transformational mental health programming to the students in our low-income, rural communities with predominantly Latino populations. LFCV grounds its practices in servicing historically under-resourced areas and we are excited to bring needed resources to our shared community.” said Manuel Jimenez Jr, La Familia Central Valley’s Regional Director.

Through this grant LFCV will train school personnel, educate students and families on common mental health concerns and violence indicators, and hire two school clinicians to provide intensive services to the most at-risk students to decrease school violence, divert students from justice involvement, and increase staff and community ability to recognize and intervene in mental health crises and secure treatment. Delhi Unified serves over 2,000 students at six schools. 91.6% of those students are Latino, and 82% qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch. Hughson Unified serves 2,091 students at five schools. The tiered support program for students will include the following strategies:

1. Programming for the most at-risk students, including individualized support and intervention and group counseling sessions.
2. Individual and family counseling sessions.
3. Programming for all students, such as student assemblies and resources.
4. Professional development for teachers and staff.
5. Parent involvement to reduce the stigma associated with mental health treatment, explain program benefits, and promote the benefits of involvement in the programs offered. LFCV will also provide parents with workshops and youth Mental Health First Aid trainings.

Suicide rates among children aged 10 and older have climbed significantly each year since 2007, making it the second most common cause of death among adolescents before the pandemic. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these trends. There are startling increases in youth reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and those who have made a suicide plan.

LFCV has extensive experience supporting youth and families at local schools throughout rural communities working with school administration and partner agencies to develop site specific approaches to increasing a culture of care and minimizing the need for justice system interventions. Programs like these, that focus on prevention and invest in school-based programs-- in full partnership with local school districts-- have been shown to improve the mental health and emotional well-being of children at low cost and high benefit. LFCV is proud to provide much needed support to these two rural districts at the heart of the Central Valley community.

Please find more information on LFCV’s award here.

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