For four years, two licensed psychotherapists have worked inside Palmerton Area School District buildings, seeing students in crisis without costing the district a dime. That arrangement is coming to an end.

Representatives from St. Luke’s Penn Foundation appeared before the board at its workshop meeting Tuesday, asking the district to begin contributing $32,000 per year to sustain the embedded mental health program known as YESS.

“We’ve been able to provide this service free of charge in the past,” said Amie Allanson-Dundon, senior director of clinical services for St. Luke’s Penn Foundation and a licensed professional counselor. “We are not making ends meet financially in the world of mental health, and we’re asking for some money to make us come to zero, not to make a profit, but to make us not lose money on our clinical therapists, because reimbursement doesn’t match cost anywhere for mental health services.”

The program currently places two psychotherapists inside the district’s buildings. One is a dedicated 40-hour per week position serving the junior high and senior high school, while the elementary position is three days per week.

This school year alone, psychotherapists have logged 608 completed visits at the senior high, where the program currently serves 20 students, and 326 visits at the junior high, where 18 students are active. Elementary statistics include five students at Towamensing with 209 visits and 20 students at S.S. Palmer with 330 visits. Parkside Elementary has three active students with 26 visits, as those cases are newer to the program.

In-school therapy

Jennie Serfass, associate director of mental health outpatient for St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, described what is at stake when access to in-school therapy is removed.

“The reality of mental health services is there are wait lists and astronomical times to get in for services,” Serfass said. “How many of our parents can afford to get to these practices, take off work, take these students to the care they need outside of their school?”

The therapists provide what is classified as Tier 3 services — the highest level of school-based mental health intervention — working with students referred by guidance counselors, principals and teachers. Serfass said the model is specifically designed to remove the obstacles that most often prevent struggling students from receiving care.

“Tier 3 is truly, instead of them walking out the door at 11 a.m. and mom and dad picking them up and pulling them out of school, they come down the hall and walk into the office that is designated for our psychotherapist,” she said. “It cuts down on transportation barriers. It cuts down on wait lists.”

The $32,000 annual request is calculated at $20,000 per full-time equivalent employee. At 1.6 FTEs, reflecting the combined schedules of the therapists serving Palmerton, that figure covers the full fiscal year from July 1 through June 30. Palmerton is not alone in receiving this request. St. Luke’s Penn Foundation contracts with 12 school districts across Carbon, Monroe, Lehigh and Northampton counties and is asking each of them for the same rate.

Serfass offered a comparison for the board to consider. If the district were to hire its own psychotherapy staff to match the current level of service, “you’d be looking at probably over $220,000 of your own cost that you would have to incur if you hired your own psychotherapists,” she said.

The program extends beyond the student body. Services are also available to district staff and faculty and continue through the summer for active patients even when school is not in session.

Funding cuts

The request comes as federal and state mental health grant funding has grown increasingly unreliable. Allanson-Dundon described receiving word of a potentially eligible grant earlier that same day, only to see it rescinded within hours.

“There have been a lot of grants coming out at the federal level, and they’re up for two or three days, and then they’re being rescinded,” she said. “With cutbacks at the federal level, mental health and other services — any grants we’ve seen have been rescinded within hours.”

The St. Luke’s representatives said they are actively working with districts to pursue alternative funding sources, including PCCD grants, and would assist Palmerton in any applications where the program qualifies. If a district declines to pay, St. Luke’s has not established a firm deadline for withdrawal, but Allanson-Dundon acknowledged the organization cannot sustain losses indefinitely.

“Of course, we’re not going to pull out or abruptly get up and leave,” she said, “but we’re looking for ways to partner with people.”

Board members raised the possibility of tapping the Bo Tkach Foundation, which donates to participating school districts specifically for mental health purposes. Surrounding districts have received between $9,000 and $10,000 through that avenue, director MaryJo King said.

“You can’t put a price on our kids’ mental health,” Board President Sherry Haas said.

The board indicated it would place the contract amendment to a vote at its next regular meeting.