MONTGOMERY, Ala. — As students prepare to return to school, mental health remains a significant concern. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that one in six children in the U.S., aged 6 to 17, experience a mental health disorder each year. To help cover this need across Alabama, the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) is collaborating with local schools and health providers to ensure students receive the mental health support they need.
“Any time there is a transition, whether it’s to the next grade level to a different school students are going to have that piece of anxiety or maybe even an adjustment period,” said Latoya Patterson, Coordinator of the Alabama Department of Mental Health ‘School-Based Mental Health Services.’
Since the launch of the School-Based Mental Health Initiative over a decade ago, Alabama has seen substantial growth in mental health coverage. ADMH received $4.5 million for the last 2 fiscal years (FY 24 and FY 25) to go towards the School Based Mental Health Initiative. The department received an additional $1 million to support the program starting in FY 26 (starting Oct. 1, 2025) for a total of $5.5 million in FY 26. Schools across the state now implement a three-tier plan to address mental health…