Lakewood City School District receives grants for mental health services and support

Cleveland Clinic Medical Clinic at Lakewood High Schoo

Cleveland Clinic Medical Clinic at Lakewood High School. (John Benson/cleveland.com)

LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Lakewood City Schools last month learned that it has received Three Arches Foundation grants totaling more than $400,000 toward mental health services and support.

“Mental health is probably the main reason kids are going into the Cleveland Clinic Medical Clinic, which is our school-based clinic,” said Lisa Bruening, the district’s director of student services.

“Even if they’re going in for physical reasons, the majority turn out to be mental health needs.”

That’s why the donations are so important, beginning with a $122,000 grant over two years to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, which will pay for the continuation of employment of the district’s student navigator, Michael Carr.

This is the third time the school district has received this grant.

“This person works with the Clinic and also with Lakewood Schools,” Bruening said. “The district also designates roughly $40,000 out of Title IV funds to keep Michael, who is our licensed Independent social worker.

“He works with the schools, students and families regarding psychiatric needs and mental health needs. Mike also runs caregiver groups with us in Lakewood. He assists families and runs groups on how you support students at home.”

The next Three Arches Foundation grant is a two-year $217,582 grant awarded to Bellefaire JCB, which through its school-based counseling program provides students with behavioral health consultation and trauma-informed prevention services.

“This will allow us to continue to have a Bellefaire mental health therapist in our district five days a week,” Bruening said. “Also, at the high school, the therapist there will get an additional 10 hours.”

The third Three Arches Foundation grant is to Ohio Guidestone, for $72,800 to support extensive behavioral health wraparound services for students, families and staff at Roosevelt, Harrison, Emerson and Hayes elementary schools.

“Ohio Guidestone will be able to utilize grants for four days a week,” Bruening said. “We’ll have another therapist who will be with us four days a week on top of what Guidestone already staffs with our buildings. They’ll do the same as Bellefaire, except she’ll work with our Ohio Guidestone schools.

“But because both of them will be in on a grant, it allows them to also work together for the entire district making sure students aren’t left without services.”

The Lakewood City School District-related awards were three of 21 local nonprofit organizations recently receiving funding from the Three Arches Foundation.

The 501(c)(3) public charity invests in advancing the health and wellbeing of the people of Lakewood and surrounding communities through grantmaking.

Each grant award reflects the foundation’s priority of access to care, specifically the advancement of solutions to remove barriers and improve behavioral and physical health.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to help fund new initiatives and expand programs that will have a direct impact on the lives of people,” Three Arches Foundation President and CEO Kristin Broadbent said in a press release.

“These efforts vary in size and scope, but together our grantee partners share a collective commitment to improving access to health care.”

Read more news from the Sun Post Herald.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.