Submitted by Natalie Hasenfuss, Director of Pupil Services
York Suburban School District applied to Community Care Behavioral Health Organization to become a site for school based outpatient services in the middle and high schools. That application was approved and the school teams selected Pennsylvania Comprehensive Behavioral Services (PCBH) to be the provider of these services. PCBH is an established licensed psychiatric clinic delivering outpatient services to clients in the community. York Suburban Middle School and High School will essentially become satellite offi
ces of PCBH for students enrolled within our buildings. Services will be provided during the school day. The goal of providing these services within the schools is to increase the opportunity for children and adolescents to receive mental health treatment. PCBH and York Suburban are in the beginning stages of this partnership and are working together to determine a referral process and how information will be disseminated while also complying with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy regulations. PCBH employs several licensed/credentialed clinicians who are trained in a variety of mental health therapies. Students in the school based outpatient program will receive mental health services similar to what they would receive if seeking outpatient services at the PCBH office. PCBH is able to provide individual, group, and family therapy as deemed appropriate by the client assessments they will complete. The middle school and high school guidance staff and PCBH professionals are looking forward to working with students and families in addressing mental health issues that may impact a student’s ability to benefit fully from his or her educational experience.