A new mental health provider has been hired to provide services to Limestone County school children this fall.

Huntsville-based WellStone Behavior Health in Huntsville will provide two full-time therapist during the 2018-2019 school year at a reduced cost of $15,000. Normally the center charge $30,000 per therapist. The Limestone County Board of Education approved WellStone’s contract at a June 27 meeting after being assured funding would not come form the general fund, but rather Title IV and special education funds.

WellStone’s Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Blair said they can offer Limestone County a reduced rate because they are able to bill the student’s health insurance provider for services.

The behavioral health center accepts most private insurances and Medicaid. Deductibles and copays are the responsibility of the parent, but Blair said they are willing to work with parents if finances are an issue.

“Students wont be turned away, we will work to serve every child we can,” Blair said. “The services we don’t get reimbursed for will be covered by our fee.”

Dr. Tom Sisk, superintendent of Limestone County Schools, said the system needs to take advantage of outside sources such as WellStone.

“We used the Limestone County Mental Health Center and they did a great job, but they were limited in the resources they could commit,” Sisk said. “A program like WellStone that goes through a students’s insurance allows us to provide more students the services they need. We have counselors in school but they are not prepared to deal with children who are in crisis. Crisis can impact a school, a class and can impede learning, and that is where the therapists from WellStone fit in.”

The two therapists will float between campuses providing services to the district’s 9,500 students on an as-needed basis.

Blair said the ratio of therapists to students is a challenge, emphasizing they are in the start-up phase of the program. In the near future, he hopes to have enough referrals to sustain a therapist in each of the districts six feeder schools.

With 35 therapists in five nearby school districts, including Madison, Madison County and Huntsville, WellStone has been providing in-school care to students for 10 years. They have been in business for 50 years.

Working collaboratively with guidance counselors, teachers and administrators, WellStone therapist have the expertise to counsel students with a wide range of mental health issues, Blair said.

Additionally, having access to in-school therapists eliminates the transportation barrier.

“We have found that transportation is a major barrier to students getting the care they need,” he said. “If you think about a parent who has to take off work and take their children to an appointment, that can be very difficult challenge. Last year we probably had an economic impact of $1 million in how much we saved parents by eliminating these barriers.”

Parents who feel their child may benefit from a WellStone therapist can arrange services by contacting a school administrator, counselor or teacher.