Blunt Announces Grant Award to Improve School-Based Services for St. Louis-Area Students

Press Release

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, today announced that St. Louis-area schools will receive more than $1.4 million in funding to strengthen and expand support services for children who are victims of traumatic events. As Chairman, Blunt began programs in last year's Labor/HHS appropriations bill for the Department of Education and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to address the comprehensive needs, including school-based services, of children experiencing trauma related to significant periods of civil unrest in their communities.

"No child in Missouri, or anywhere in this country, should be left to struggle with the mental wounds of trauma without access to the care they need," Blunt said. "In communities that have faced civil unrest, like Ferguson, expanding and improving school-based mental health services is particularly critical. These resources will help St. Louis-area teachers, parents, and mental health staff better address the needs of children, and increase the number of students who are identified, screened, and treated for trauma-related mental health issues. I was proud to begin this program, and will continue working to ensure that communities have the resources they need to address the long-term impact of civil unrest."

In August, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health was awarded a five-year grant worth $4.7 million to target high-risk youth and connect them with mental health treatment and services. This grant was also awarded under one of the programs started by Blunt last year.

Source