WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bill Delahunt announced today that the U.S. Department of Education awarded a $308,950 federal grant to the South Shore Educational Collaborative to create a telemedicine system designed to improve student access to mental health services. 

“I want to commend the Collaborative for securing these funds and the use of Tele-psychiatric medicine as a way to expand access to critical mental health services in our region.” said Delahunt.

"This grant program will enable the South Shore Educational Collaborative to improve and provide cutting edge mental health services to students and families in schools and the community. The grant will help usher in a new era for mental health services for children" said, Michael J. Savage, the Executive Director of the Collaborative.

The South Shore Educational Collaborative was established in 1996 to make education and human service programs available to South Shore member school districts. The nine member communities include Braintree, Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, Norwell, Quincy, Randolph, Scituate and Weymouth.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in ten children suffers from a mental illness that is severe enough to cause impairment.  In many instances parents find that health insurance providers may not include adequate mental health coverage to deal with illnesses such as attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar and eating disorders.  Often it is left to local schools and community-based counseling associations to step in and give students and parents the help they need.

“The partnership between the South Shore Educational Collaborative and other agencies including South Shore Mental Health, the MA Department of Mental Health and the Executive Office of Human Services is vital if we are to succeed in helping the kids who need these services the most.” Delahunt added.

Mr. Delahunt has long been a supporter of increased access to mental health services.  In Congress, he has cosponsored HR 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, which would provide mental health benefits similar to those provided to federal employees.  This important legislation would require health insurance providers to treat mental health services on the same level as other medical or surgical benefits. It would also modify the landmark legislation signed into law by President Clinton in 1996, which barred companies from placing lifetime limits on mental health care unless the same limitations were applied to other medical benefits.
 

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