‘Profound impact’: Opiod settlement funds to enable counseling at Buffalo Grove High School
The new year will see the reinstatement of a student counseling program at Buffalo Grove High School, made possible by the use of opioid settlement funds given to the village of Buffalo Grove.
Village officials on Monday announced a partnership between the town, Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and OMNI, a counseling service provider in Buffalo Grove, to bring back the program.
“It’s another example of the thoughtful decision making that goes on in Buffalo Grove,” said Molly Gillespie, Buffalo Grove’s director of communications and engagement. “Partnering with other agencies we can achieve more than we can on our own.”
An annual amount of $58,000 will hire a licensed social worker for 15 hours a week at the high school for the next four years. The program should start no later than Jan. 13, said Roy Eiermann, clinical director at OMNI.
“This was an opportunity to create additional long-term stability to have a counselor present at the high school,” Eiermann said.
The counselor will provide tailored support, including individual and group therapy, mental health awareness education, after-hours family counseling, parent coaching, and mentoring and life skills, officials said.
Parents had not traditionally been part of counseling programs at Buffalo Grove High School, said Kara Kendrick, District 214’s associate superintendent for student services.
“The fact that they’re willing to support families is huge,” she added.
A previous counseling program spearheaded by Buffalo Grove Police Department social worker Brittany Wilson had OMNI offering services at the high school during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years.
That program served 23 students in the first year and 35 in the second, totaling more than 340 therapy sessions.
“The success of our previous collaborations with OMNI demonstrates the profound impact of accessible mental health services, and we’re excited to expand this support through this new program,” Kendrick said.
The program will use opioid settlement funds to cover all necessary services for insured and uninsured families, according to a press release Monday.
For those with Medicaid and the Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna PPO plans, the school will first bill insurance and the settlement funds will cover remaining costs, including co-pays, deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses. OMNI will bill Aetna, BCBS, and Medicaid.
The new program also will offer services during winter and summer breaks. The previous program was available only during the academic year, Eiermann said.
“We saw the accessibility of mental health and substance use services be successful when we had a counselor present,” he said. “And having a counselor present not only for breaks but also for the next four years, it’s really hopeful to us that the services that are needed for the students are going to be available to them.”