Beginning in 2022, The ABC Science Collaborative partnered with North Carolina-Psychiatry Access Line (NC-PAL), North Carolina Integrated Care for Kids (NC InCK), and Student U to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by improving the health and well-being of children and teens.

Building on previous work during the pandemic, The ABC Science Collaborative and its partners are working with schools and communities to research and evaluate specific steps that schools and healthcare providers can take to better support the health and well-being of students and school staff, with a particular focus on mental health.

Using feedback from school districts, The ABC Science Collaborative and its partners are developing new tools and resources for schools, such as a Mental Health Dashboard that school districts can use to better understand the gap between North Carolina K-12 school mental health needs and the services that are offered. The Dashboard generates evidence to communicate the acute mental health crisis among students in K-12 public schools in N.C. and leverages the partnership between The ABC Science Collaborative, NC-PAL, NC InCK, and Student U to advocate for state and federal resources to address mental health needs in school communities.

Other initiatives include:

Work with school districts

• The North Carolina Community Schools Coalition: The ABC Science Collaborative, The Durham Public Schools Foundation, Student U, Rural Education Institute, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe Counties, NC Child, Public School Forum of North Carolina, and National Education Association have formed this coalition to provide vital support to underserved students and families in North Carolina.
• Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) Workshops: Workshops offered by The ABC Science Collaborative to provide teachers and school staff with tools and resources to reduce stress and burnout, enliven teaching, and help students thrive.
• Teacher Resiliency Study: This study looks at school employees' mental health, well-being, and effectiveness before and after completing the CARE professional development workshop.
• NC InCK resource guides: Eight informational documents to help North Carolina educators connect students and families to resources they need. Topics include Behavioral and Mental Health Services, Nutrition, Foster Care, and more.
• Regular meetings with school leadership to discuss health and wellness topics: The ABC Science Collaborative meets with North Carolina school superintendents and leadership to hear their needs and provide guidance and resources.
• Sharing of best practices: The ABC Science Collaborative helps guide schools in their choices related to COVID-19 prevention, vaccination, and other ways to ensure student health and well-being.

Supporting mental health

• Mental health consultations: This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) collaboration offers group-based educational consultations by NC-PAL to provide personnel of North Carolina school districts with biweekly sessions on behavioral health conditions. During the virtual sessions, NC-PAL child psychiatrists, pediatric psychologists, and nurse practitioners lead presentations, case discussions, and consultations about systems of care and strategies to support students.
• NC-PAL initiative implemented in two districts: This group-based intervention is offered by NC-PAL and supported by The ABC Science Collaborative to provide school districts with direct access to mental health consultation. In one district we support mental health consultations through a school-based health center and, the other, through existing district infrastructure.

Greater impact in Durham, NC

• Mental health support in Durham schools: Facilitates small groups focused within Durham Public Schools, with both Student U students and non-Student U students, both during the school-day and over the summer, when students cannot access co-located mental health services.
• Universal programming: Expands our focus on full-body wellness for students and families by coordinating Wellness Wednesday activities during a year-round program, providing intentional social and emotional learning during high school and college events, and deepening partnerships with groups to provide easily accessible physical health screenings for sports and employment, eye exams and eyewear, and access to resources around sexual and reproductive health.
• Mental health ambassador program: A proposed mental health ambassadors program where youth learn the tenets of mental wellness and how to care for themselves and their peers. We imagine youth leaders becoming ambassadors in all public schools in Durham.