The Michigan legislature's newly adopted budget for the 2023 fiscal year will fund up to 100 school-based health centers across the state.
There are currently 214 school-based health centers that offer students on-site access to primary care and mental health services.
Debbie Brinson is executive director of the School-Community Health Alliance of Michigan.
Her organization has been building a network of the sites for about 30 years.
Brinson says recently, the focus has been on establishing at least one in every county.
“Our goal ultimately will be to make sure that there’s mental health and school nursing in every single school.” Brinson said. “So, this is another step in that journey.”
Brinson says the need for school-based mental health services has grown significantly since 2020, with more students feeling isolated and depressed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.