Kentucky leaders earmark $40 million in federal funding to strengthen mental health services in schools

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky leaders announced $40 million in federal funding Tuesday that represents an expansion into mental health services in the state's schools.

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman said during a news conference in Frankfort that the $40 million grant will go to five different education cooperatives in the state, the closest to Louisville being the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative in Shelbyville.

A year ago, Coleman made mental health care one of her primary platforms. She said students are more likely to take advantage of mental health services when they're offered in schools, so she teamed up with other state leaders to make it a priority.

Coleman said Tuesday they've made a lot of progress, including the launch of 988 as a crisis helpline and improved suicide prevention and training kits distributed to Kentucky schools. They've also held discussion summits with students to hear their mental health concerns and what they needed in schools, including comprehensive suicide prevention and excused absences for mental health.

"We've worked a lot across the year on the recommendations and spoken to a lot of people," said Logan Justice, a sophomore at the University of Kentucky. "We saw a lot of on-the-ground work being done but a large sum of funding. It's rewarding to see that."

Coleman said without that student involvement, the $40 million grant for Kentucky students statewide wouldn't have happened.

"When students speak, people should listen," she said Tuesday. "... They're committed to this. So this shows us it's not just K-12. It's also higher education and beyond."

The Green River Regional Educational Cooperative in Bowling Green, The North Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services in Cold Spring, the Southeast South-Central Education Cooperative in London and the West Kentucky Educational Cooperative in Murray are the four other recipients of the $40 million grant.

Coleman said this would continue to be a platform of theirs if Gov. Andy Beshear is re-elected in November but wouldn't comment on any upcoming budgetary asks or decisions.

She said while the grant money doesn't cover all counties of Kentucky, that's a goal they're working toward.