From Joint News Release
November 5, 2024
Redmond, WA — Lake Washington School District (LWSD) is proud to announce a new partnership with Care Solace, a comprehensive mental health care coordination service designed to support students, families, and staff. Powered by significant grants from the Lake Washington Schools Foundation (LWSF) and the City of Redmond, this collaboration aims to strengthen links between school-based support and external mental health and addiction recovery resources by providing timely, confidential connections to care.
Recent data from the 2023 LWSD Healthy Youth Survey reveals the alarming mental health challenges facing high school seniors: 25% report symptoms of depression, 12% have contemplated suicide, and 26% feel they have no adult to confide in. Additionally, 13% have experienced unwanted sexual contact, and 11% identify as “problem” or “heavy” drinkers. These figures underscore an urgent need for expanded access to mental health care.
“The statistics are alarming, but they also highlight the incredible need for a service like Care Solace,” remarked Katy Philips, LWSF Executive Director. “We are grateful for the opportunity to make mental health care more accessible and to work alongside LWSD and the City of Redmond to support our community’s well-being.”
Care Solace connects individuals with a large network of verified mental health providers, addressing issues such as anxiety, depression, substance use, trauma, and more. The service offers 24/7/365 multilingual support in over 200 languages and is available at no cost to all LWSD students, families, and staff, regardless of insurance status.
By offering a centralized hub for connecting individuals to mental health care providers, Care Solace ensures timely, confidential access to services while relieving school staff of the challenging task of referring students to appropriate care. The platform’s database of over 560,000 providers enables efficient connections and ensures that students, especially those from historically underserved communities, receive the right support.
“Our entire community benefits when we commit to the well-being of our students, families, and staff,” shared Dr. Jon Holmen, LWSD Superintendent. “This partnership with Care Solace was made possible through the generous support of the City of Redmond and the Lake Washington Schools Foundation. Care Solace provides timely and confidential access to mental health support, ensuring that no individual feels isolated or alone as they work through challenges.”
The partnership with Care Solace focuses on three key outcomes:
- Expanding Access to Health Care: Ensuring that students, staff, and families can quickly and confidentially connect with mental health providers, especially those facing socioeconomic barriers.
- Early Intervention: Identifying mental health and substance abuse concerns before they escalate into more serious issues.
- Trauma Mitigation: Providing immediate, accessible care to survivors of trauma and abuse, helping to break cycles of trauma and improve long-term outcomes for at-risk students.
In addition to mental health care coordination, Care Solace also helps with insurance questions, ensuring that no student, family member, or staff member is left behind when it comes to mental health support.
“This partnership with the Lake Washington School District and the Foundation represents a vital step forward,” said Redmond Mayor Angela Birney. “By connecting our community with a network of mental health therapists, we are ensuring that every family in the district has access to the confidential care they need. Together, we are not just supporting individual wellness; we are building a stronger, more resilient community.”
LWSD students, staff and their family members can access the service by visiting https://caresolace.com/site/lakewashingtonsd.
Pictured above (L–R): Alaric Bien, Senior Human Services Planner, City of Redmond; Katy Philips, Executive Director, LWSF; Johnny Phu, Director of Student Services, LWSD.
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About LWSD
Lake Washington School District (LWSD) is a high-performing public school district serving the cities of Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish, Washington. With a commitment to student success, LWSD provides innovative learning environments that prepare students for the future.
About LWSF
The Lake Washington Schools Foundation (LWSF) connects community resources with local schools to ensure that all students in the Lake Washington School District have the support they need to succeed. Through fundraising and partnerships, LWSF funds programs and initiatives that help all students thrive, now and in the future.
About the City of Redmond
The City of Redmond is dedicated to creating a safe and thriving community, offering services and programs that improve the well-being of all its residents and fuses compassion and ethics with innovation to champion a thriving, resilient, and inclusive community.
