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Expansion proposed for student mental-health programs
By Judy Lin - Bee Capitol Bureau
Last Updated 1:57 pm PDT Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Hoping to prevent tragedies like the recent one at Virginia Tech in which a mentally ill gunman killed 32 students and teachers, a state mental health commission is proposing to expand suicide and violence-prevention programs at schools and colleges across California.
Lawmakers and mental health advocates announced Wednesday a four-year $60 million student mental health initiative to provide peer-to-peer support, training and awareness in K-12 classrooms and public higher education institutions.
"It shouldn't take a tragedy like Virginia Tech to compel action, but there can be a silver lining out of such a horrible tragedy," said Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, author of Proposition 63, also known as the Mental Health Services Act. "It's that it's generating conversation about what is lacking in our mental health system."
Victor Ojakian, the father of Adam Ojakian, a 21-year-old UC Davis student who took his own life in 2004, said it's critical to reach young people because most mental illnesses are diagnosed by the age of 24.
The 12-member Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission is expected to approve the initiative Thursday. The proposal would allocate $34 million for college students and $26 million for K-12 education. Funding for the program will come from Proposition 63, which levies a 1 percent tax on millionaires.
About the writer:
- The Bee's Judy Lin can be reached at (916) 321-1115 or jlin@sacbee.com.
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