La Grande School District Offering Mental Health Care Options with Care Solace
By Garrett Christensen on Wednesday, March 29th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – On March 13, the La Grande School District Announced it’d be partnering with Care Solace to provide additional mental health coordination services to students, staff and their families. La Grande Director of Student Services Erika Pinkerton provided additional information on what this partnership will involve and what the La Grande community should be aware of.
According to the original release, Care Solace is a coordinating entity meant to expand access to mental health care options beyond just local providers. Care Solace offers timely and specialized services for students, staff and families to connect with specific mental health care providers on a case by case basis. As stated by Pinkerton:
“It provides an opportunity for families to go outside of our local area to access services, whether that be in person or virtual. Also, our staff in our district and their families can utilize the service as well. It’s student first but we also make sure that we’re taking care of our staff and our families and their well-being. This is truly an opportunity to provide more choice for people.”
Choice is a driving factor in the new partnership. Care Solace themselves do not provide health care services directly. Rather, the company works with people in need in order to find specific providers that may not be available locally. The coordinating service is both available 24-7 and can be used as many times as needed. Should a person or family be matched with a provider that doesn’t meet their criteria, Care Solace will work with them again to find a new provider. As noted by Pinkerton, “They don’t just leave people, they come back, and they continue to check in with families.”
Pinkerton would also like to note that Care Solace does not replace or overrule local mental health care providers. The Center for Human Development (CHD), who currently serve as La Grande’s school-based health center, will still be prioritized when arranging treatment. Care Solace simply expedites and simplifies the process when arranging alternative treatment providers. As further described by Pinkerton:
“We value our partnership with CHD and onboarding with Care Solace is an opportunity to provide options and choices for families, whether it’s local, or outside of La Grande to support their child and our staff and their families.”
For additional information, view the original La Grande School District release at La Grande School District Selects Care Solace for Mental Health Care Coordination Services | La Grande School District (lagrandesd.org)
