The Washington Informer: The Fight Continues to Save School-Based Behavioral Health

Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. of The Washington Informer reports on how cuts to DC’s school-based behavioral health program and youth crisis response could have an impact on DC children and families. He spoke with Children’s Law Center Behavioral Health Policy Analyst, Chris Gamble:

Earlier this year, as it unveiled its plans to sever ties with community-based organizations and replace ChAMPS with in-house personnel inexperienced in youth affairs, DBH’s school-based behavioral health program reached 77% school coverage. 

Throughout much of the budget season, Gamble and other members of the Children’s Law Center have rallied around efforts to ensure those service providers stay in place. With a client base that includes foster youth and families facing housing insecurity, Gamble said the worst is to come if DBH follows through with its plans.  

“There are so many gaps across the behavioral health system and the continuum of care, like what kids can access, how easy it is to access it, whether there are wait lists,” Gamble told The Informer. “It would just unnecessarily add another, another gap in there.” 

In addition to skepticism around DBH’s evaluation of the community-based organizations, Gamble raised questions about how the agency, amid a personnel shortage, would be able to make the pivot to in-house clinicians within a matter of two to three years. 

“That’s one of our biggest concerns,” Gamble told The Informer. “It’s a tough job market. Licensed clinicians have a lot of options, whether it’s the school-based program, other programs in D.C. or just in the private sector. To say that ‘We can easily get these 60 clinicians, whether it’s over the next two years or whatever,’ is just hard to do.”