With a severe shortage of mental health providers limiting access to mental health services, embedding evidence-based practices into schools presents an unparalleled opportunity to reach children in need and decrease disparities in accessing mental health services.

The federal government has funded programs, such as Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education (AWARE) to improve access for youth to mental health services. However, despite promising initial data, funding for sustainability and expansion to other communities is not guaranteed.

Many promising grant-funded programs are not sustained because it is rarely demonstrated how investments in successful programs translate into savings of public dollar costs in other categories of social spending. The typical “design, demonstrate, evaluate and disseminate” strategy is insufficient to sustain most grant-funded programs. A rigorous economic evaluation of such programs’ costs versus benefits can facilitate the political support needed to secure ongoing state and local funding.

In partnership with state education leaders, this team developed a framework for conducting a rigorous benefit-cost analysis (BCA) to determine if the benefits derived from Project AWARE exceed the costs required to implement and sustain the program. The resulting paper outlines the processes and methodology used to develop the study plan with implications for other researchers, practitioners and policymakers interested in planning and conducting similar studies within schools.

Timing

Summer 2023 – Spring 2024

Team Outputs

Draft publication (for submission in Fall 2024) outlining a framework and methodology for conducting a rigorous BCA for school-based mental health programs

Foundation proposals

Data to advocate for state funding for sustainability and expansion

Poster presentation at the Southeastern School Behavioral Health Conference (Myrtle Beach, SC, April 24, 2024)

Benefit-Cost Analysis of a Mental Health Program in a School Setting (Poster presented at Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 17, 2024)