Google donates $100k toward student mental health
Money donated by Google will help The Dalles High School build an on-site school-based health center.
From Columbia Gorge Education Service District:
Wasco County students to connect with critical mental health services with support from Google
New $100,000 grant to support mental health in Columbia Gorge Education Services District
Today, Oct. 13, the Columbia Gorge Education Service District (ESD) is pleased to announce a new grant from Google to support the district’s goal of creating and increasing school-based mental health services for students in Wasco County. The $100,000 grant from Google, which operates data centers in The Dalles, will help Columbia Gorge ESD fund additional programs to improve access to care that is critical to K-12 students’ growth and wellbeing.
Dr. Pat Sublette, Columbia Gorge ESD Superintendent
“Every day there is new research that shows us just how important mental health care is for our children,” said Dr. Pat Sublette, Columbia Gorge ESD Superintendent. “The pandemic has magnified the need for stronger mental health services for students even more. We are so grateful for Google’s support as we work to make services available broadly, help remove the stigma around mental health services and make sure every student is equipped with the tools they need to be healthy and successful.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported spikes in depression among young people during the pandemic and in surveys conducted by the Columbia Gorge ESD, students and parents identified mental health services as the top health concern with cost, transportation, and services being too far away as the largest barriers.
“Students and parents have both identified mental health as a top priority, so we’re glad to be able to support them,” said Kate Franko, Google’s Regional Head of Data Center Public Affairs. “Any step we can take to meet that need and help connect students with the right services is a step toward a better future for them and the entire community.”
With support from Google and additional private and public funding sources, the Columbia Gorge ESD is also seeking to:
expand the role of the Whole Child Nursing Administrator to connect with outside providers to continue to expand telehealth services for students
offer a mobile health clinic in partnership with One Community Health that will visit schools in Wasco and Hood River Counties with licensed clinicians providing physical and mental health care to students
build an on-site school-based health center at The Dalles High school
Editors Note - Susan Gabay donated $200,000 toward The Dalles High School mental health center earlier this year. Read CCCNew’s original story about it here.
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The Columbia Gorge ESD serves the Dufur, Hood River, North Wasco and South Wasco school districts providing a variety of support services including early learning, migrant education, safety, Native American education services, technology, homeschooling and regional support in STEM, Early Learning and Professional Learning.
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Google has called Wasco County home since 2006 when it opened its very first data center in the U.S. in The Dalles. In its 15 years in the area, Google has contributed more than $2 million to local organizations supporting education, reducing carbon impacts, expanding access to the internet and regional economic growth.
