From our colleagues at the University of North Carolina Department of Psychiatry and the UNC Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center:

Good afternoon,

We invite leaders within school districts to participate in a study to better understand the characteristics of school-based behavioral health (SBBH) programs across the U.S. We know that SBBH programs are crucial to improving youth behavioral health outcomes, but little is currently known about their availability, structure, and workforce.

This study is a collaboration between investigators within the University of North Carolina Department of Psychiatry and the UNC Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center, a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded research center. The UNC-BHWRC’s mission is to produce research to inform policies that support the behavioral health workforce and increase access to quality behavioral health services.

Involvement in this study will require completing an online survey via Qualtrics. The survey should take 5-10 minutes to complete and will be completely anonymous. The survey will ask you about the types of SBBH services provided within your district, including information on who provides them and how they are funded. We expect that approximately 100 school districts will take part. The survey is voluntary, and you may choose to skip questions. You will be directed to the online survey by clicking on the following link and will be prompted to review the study consent form prior to starting the survey.

There will be an opportunity at the end of the survey to enter into a drawing for 1 of 25 tablets as a thank you for your participation. This will require you to complete a separate survey with your contact information. This secondary survey will also ask if you are willing to be contacted for future research surrounding SBBH services. Completion of this secondary survey is completely voluntary and information collected from this survey will not be linked to study results.

If you wish to forward the survey to a colleague who may be better able to complete the questions, please forward this email in its entirety. If you have any questions about this research, please contact me at any time by emailing nate_sowa@med.unc.edu or roubinov@email.unc.edu. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a research subject, you may contact the UNC Institutional Review Board (Study IRB # 23-2984) at 919-966-3113 or by email to IRB_subjects@unc.edu.

Thank you,

Nate Sowa, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Associate Vice Chair of Virtual and Integrated Care

UNC SOM Department of Psychiatry

Danielle Roubinov, PhD

Associate Professor

Director of the Child and Adolescent Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program (CHAAMP)

UNC SOM Department of Psychiatry