New Partnership Will Address Mental Health At Central Regional

BERKELEY, NJ — A new partnership hopes to address mental health struggles at the Central Regional School District.

In a news release, district officials announced their new partnership with InSite Health, a New Jersey-based digital mental health care provider, to create a new hybrid program in the district.

According to the release, students can seek out help from a school counselor who, with parental consent, can refer them to mental health support and help them set up an appointment with assistance from an InSite care navigator. The program will also include a customized mental health first aid training for district staff in April where InSite Health professionals will help staff be more cognizant of mental health issues and teach them how to recognize when a student needs assistance.

The partnership with InSite Health is also one of several new initiatives launched by Superintendent Dr. Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder, who began her new role at Central Regional in January and wanted to introduce this program to help students and heal a community.

CarneyRay-Yoder said she is excited about this innovative program. “We want to make sure that our students have access to the best mental health services,” she said. “I saw the value in this program and when I came to this District, after learning about everything that they had been through in the last year, I knew that this was one of the many supports that I wanted to put in place quickly.”

The partnership comes just one year after the bullying and suicide of 14-year-old student Adriana Kuch.

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With 21 percent of the students classified and receiving special education services, CarneyRay-Yoder noted that many students suffer from anxiety and could benefit from this comprehensive program. In addition, the goal is to have the services available to support district personnel who may also need them in a confidential manner.

The new program is also in response to expanded legislation recently signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, requiring mental health education in schools, and providing reimbursement to school districts for behavioral health services that are provided to students and their families who are Medicaid recipients. Since many of the district’s classified students and their families are eligible, the district would be able to receive reimbursement from the State for such services under this partnership.

InSite Health partners with hundreds of schools in New Jersey, according to Christopher Gaeta, CEO of InSite Health. Specialized Care Navigators from InSite respond to every mental health request with an average response time of less than 15 minutes and are frequently able to connect students to care for appointments, approximately 70 to 80 percent faster than the traditional avenue, according to the press release.

“This partnership is built on a foundation of shared missions: focusing our efforts on a united approach to enhance student mental health,” Gaeta said. “We are excited to partner with Central Regional as an innovative District leading the way to implement an evidence-based mental health resource for their students. Central Regional is the first District to work with InSite Health to offer the technology-enabled Insite Wellness Program in Ocean County.”

“We seek to empower schools with the tools to meet students where they are and provide wrap-around support for students,” Gaeta said. “Our platform was designed with input from hundreds of school leaders who understand the critical need to provide technology forward, human-centered solutions to address the current student mental health crisis.”

On May 22, the Central Regional Track and Field will also team up with the nonprofit Tackle Depression for a Mental Awareness track meet for all NJ High School track programs that register. The event will take place at the High School campus in Bayville under the lights and will feature mental health information, resources, and access to numerous mental health organizations for participating New Jersey high school track teams.