Coordination and Implementation of Mental Health Supports across Michigan: A Case Study from Project AWARE

• In Event: Implementing School-Based Mental Health Services to Support Students

Abstract

Background: Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) is a five-year grant program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support collaborative partnerships between state and local educational agencies, and state mental health agencies. The program aims 1) to improve coordination between Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) and Community Mental Health (CMHs) agencies to increase awareness of youth mental health issues, 2) to provide mental health support training to youth-facing adults in their communities, and 3) to increase youth access to mental health services. The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) were awarded this grant to work collaboratively in three community sites in Michigan between October 2020 to September 2025.  

Motivation: This study aims to explore the implementation and outcomes of program implementation of Project AWARE in Michigan. Specifically we ask: 
1. What services and programs did the three project sites implement?  
2. What factors, including geographic variation, and institutional relationships, facilitated and hindered this implementation?  

Data collection: We use data collected from quarterly surveys, annual surveys and interviews to community members from all three community sites over a five-year period.   

Analysis: We compare primary program outcomes such as the number of people trained in mental health; mental health literacy, and suicide prevention; the number of referrals; and the number of people receiving services after being referred, among other metrics across three community sites located in urban and rural areas of Michigan. In addition, we analyze the level of collaboration among Project AWARE partners throughout the grant period to assess the intensity and variation of these relationships. Quantitative data are summarized descriptively, while qualitative data are analyzed thematically using predefined themes and codes from structured interviews conducted annually between years 2 and 4.

Findings: Project AWARE has successfully increased access to mental health training for adults working with youth in both urban and rural areas, training over 2,000 individuals. The program progressed more rapidly in urban areas, where over 500 individuals were trained by the second year of the grant, compared to just 133 in rural areas. Additionally, mental health training participants showed an average increase of 7.3 percentage points in their mental health literacy and an average increase of 26.9 percentage points in their knowledge of suicide prevention. Approximately 2,209 students in need of mental health support were identified, with 86% residing in rural areas. However, due to staffing issues and a lack of available providers, only 1,679 students, or 73% of those referred, began receiving services. During the grant period, the service rate was 70% in rural areas compared to 95% in urban areas. Regarding collaboration, although Project AWARE fostered an environment of networking and interaction among members by the second and third years of the grant period, the relationship between the two main project partners—ISDs and CMHs—encountered more challenges in rural areas due to staffing constraints and involvement in programmatic activities.

Authors

• Mili Chocce, University of Michigan
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Catherine Armstrong Asher, University of Michigan
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Robin T Jacob, University of Michigan Ann Arbor
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Deborah Hubbard, University of Michigan
  Presenting Author