More medical professionals in schools improves students' mental health

Thanks to Rep. Steve Eliason (R- District 45), Utah schools have more funding to hire medical professionals such as nurses and mental health specialists. The number of nurses employed in schools is up from 131 in 2018 to 202 today.

“As a legislator, I can’t just sit back and say, ‘Well, we’ll hope things get better,” Eliason tells Beyond the Books.

Part of what spurred Eliason’s legislative action was the discovery, after mental health screenings done in a small Utah school, that an alarming number of children had contemplated suicide.

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With more trained professionals in mental health available in schools, Eliason says Utah’s youth suicide rate has seen a moderate reduction in the last two years. Suicide is the leading cause of death for those 10-24 years of age in Utah.

BettySue Hinkson, who oversees school nurses for the Utah Department of Public Health, says that Eliason’s bills and federal COVID-19 relief money have significantly reduced the student-to-medical-professional ratio in schools.

That’s important, Hinkson says, because, “Everything ties together. Your mental health and your physical health. If you’re having a mental health crisis then your physical health is also going to be affected.”