Uvalde inspired Texas to take mental health seriously in schools. fair enough?

The May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 children and two teachers, has thrust several important issues into the national conversation, including access to guns, school safety and mental health.

While the phrase “mental health” is often used in politics to avoid the gun control debate, there was a lack of access to mental health services before the shooting in Uvalde.

Texas ranks last in the United States when it comes to mental health services. Also below is the number of people covered by insurance. But even if you have insurance, 14% of Texas children with health insurance do not have coverage for mental or emotional problems.

The numbers are even worse when you go abroad. 75% of rural counties in the United States have no mental health providers, and Texas has the highest number of counties with no mental health care providers, according to an ABC News analysis of data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

This is especially true in rural areas like Uvalde, where mental health professionals are few and far between and you may have to drive hours to see one. According to Department of Health and Human Services standards for 2022, Uvalde had one mental health care provider for every 1,780 people. The best-performing counties in the United States have one provider for every 250 people.

Rural areas across the country have similar numbers to Uvalde’s 2022 numbers. They are known as mental health deserts, and children with problems may suffer for months or a year or more before being admitted to a mental health professional.

In the days following the shooting, the state expanded access to Texas Children’s Health through telemedicine (Chat) program for interested districts. Will it be enough to help millions of students in need?

In this special report, host Bonnie Petrie explores the depth of the mental health crisis in schools, including barriers to access to care and solutions being tested now because of Uvalde.

It is part of Texas Public Radio. Mental Health Equity PartnershipA group of newsrooms covering the challenges and solutions to accessing mental health services in the US. Partners for this project include the Carter Center, the Center for Public Integrity, and newsrooms in Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Texas. He said.