Gov. Greg Abbott signed a series of bills into law in June 2019 that would, among other things, strengthen mental health initiatives available to children. This legislation creates a Texas Mental Health Consortium to bring together psychiatric professionals from Texas medical schools and other health care providers to connect children to mental health services. The legislation also increases mental health training for educators and other school professionals and improves students’ access to mental and behavioral health services.
CISDR has been on the forefront of providing mental health training to educators, parents, and other members of the community. We have been busy this summer training hundreds of school faculty and staff in Mental Health First Aid, to help them recognize the signs of students at risk of harming themselves or others. Our next community session is on Tuesday, July 23, with additional sessions on Friday, August 23 and Friday, September 13. Help us make a difference in the lives of high-risk children, and register today at cisdallas.org/mhfa. Together we can learn to “see something, say something” and keep the community safe for our children.