Besides students losing time learning in 2020, South Summit Superintendent Greg Maughan said the pandemic also took a toll on them mentally.
“We've seen a huge increase in the amount of needed resource around mental health, and so we're we're doing what we can to provide that," Maughan said on "Local News Hour."
Demand has remained high years after the COVID-19 virus emerged, and new changes to Summit County’s mental healthcare system may help.
While renegotiating its mental and behavioral healthcare contract with providers at the University of Utah, the county government has decided to take school-based services in-house.
Maughan said South Summit hired two social workers after the beginning of the pandemic. It also has a district psychologist.
Since taking over school-based behavioral and mental healthcare, Summit County has also staffed the district with people studying to become providers.
“Specifically, they have students who are going through university programs to become social workers, and so they're helping as well,” Maughan said. “So we have more support than we ever have, which is a good thing.”
Maughn said he doesn’t anticipate the demand for support services will decrease.
