LEONARDTOWN, Md. — Beginning in December, St. Mary’s County’s school-based health centers will offer limited mental health counseling to St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) students and staff, as well as community members. Services will be available to students and staff during the school day, while community members can access them after school hours.
Enrollment in the school-based health center system is required to schedule an appointment. Detailed enrollment instructions and additional information about the health centers are available here. Currently, two school-based health centers operate in St. Mary’s County, located at Spring Ridge Middle School and Margaret Brent Middle School.
The decision was announced by Dr. Meena Brewster, representing the St. Mary’s County Board of Health, during a meeting of the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County on Nov. 19.
“We’re really excited to announce that beginning in December, we’ll be offering some mental health counseling that will be available during school hours for SMCPS students and staff, and then after school hours for the community,” Brewster said.
Initially, services will be offered on a limited basis, with appointments available intermittently throughout the school week. However, Brewster noted that the program is expected to expand in 2025.
The expansion follows the notable success of the school-based health centers over the last two years. Since their establishment in August 2022, the centers have reported 2,672 enrollments. Additionally, they boast an 80% “return to class rate” for students at the host schools, meaning students at Margaret Brent or Spring Ridge Middle School return to class 80% of the time after attending a health center appointment during the school day.
This return rate highlights the centers’ ability to provide care without significantly disrupting students’ educational experiences. The centers also benefit families economically by reducing the need for parents or guardians to leave work to pick up their child due to illness.
The St. Mary’s County school-based health centers were established through a partnership among the St. Mary’s County Health Department, St. Mary’s County Public Schools, and the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. The initiative was launched to address a shortage of primary care and mental health providers following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Maryland Assembly on School-Based Health Care in 2023.
The centers currently provide treatment for various medical conditions, including acute illnesses such as the flu and chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes. They also offer screenings for dental, vision, and hearing issues, as well as counseling with an emphasis on “prevention, early intervention, and risk reduction,” according to the St. Mary’s County Health Department.
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