More mental health resources coming to Medical Lake
MEDICAL LAKE, Wash.– More mental health resources are coming to Medical Lake.
For years, the school district has been trying to bridge gaps in mental health services for the community to proactively help families.
“As we continue to build, we’ve seen a gap in being connected to our families,” said Tawni Barlow, the Director of Student Services at the Medical Lake School District.
She says people often know about the resources out there, but the connection and next steps fell short. She hopes to bridge that gap at the H.U.B. It stands for help, unite and bond. The space is located at 317 N. Broad St. in Medical Lake and is open from 8 to 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Its goal is to create strong family, community and school connections to combat the growing mental health crisis.
There are critical resources, social workers, family therapists and parental support on-site at all times. It’s free to use for the whole Medical Lake community. Families can also bring young children to the kid’s corner and find help on site for issues difficult to navigate alone.
“We really want to destigmatize the sense of being needed to be seen for a mental health issue, very similar and make it normalized for folks,” said Kimberly Headrick, the Assistant Superintendent for the Medical Lake School District.
At the H.U.B., students and parents can have lifesaving conversations early on.
“We can again address issues before they become something that is a crisis,” Headrick added.
Washington’s Department of Health is taking this model and sharing it with other schools in the state.
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