Anne Arundel County receives $9 million to expand student behavioral and wellness services
Anne Arundel County will receive $9 million to expand behavioral health and wellness services for students during the 2025-26 school year, county executive Steuart Pittman said Tuesday.
The funding, approved by the Maryland Community Health Resource Commission and the Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports, comes through the Blueprint for Maryland's Future.
Services will be delivered by community providers and coordinated by the county's Local Behavioral Health Authority in partnership with Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
Students and families will have access to counseling and therapy, both in-person and through telehealth, in and out of school settings.
The grant also supports crisis intervention programs, family navigation services to connect with behavioral health resources, and substance use disorder prevention and referrals. In addition, it will expand mental health promotion efforts and provide conflict resolution training.
"This is great news for the thousands of students and families who rely on these services to help navigate the challenges they face in and out of the classroom," Pittman said. "Thank you to all of our partners in this work for investing in the needs of our students and families."
Expanding mental health resources
Anne Arundel has also been working to transform the former Crownsville Hospital into a mental health care and education hub.
The facility, which opened in 1911 as a psychiatric hospital for Black patients before desegregating in 1963, was long plagued by reports of neglect and mistreatment, including allegations of medical experiments on patients, the Associated Press reported.
Use of the hospital declined in the 1960s, and it closed in 2004 because of budget concerns. Maryland sought to redevelop the site in 2008.
In August, county officials announced the opening of a nonprofit center at the Crownsville location.
In July, the county announced $2 million in grants to support health and wellness, promote equity and inclusion, and close the opportunity gap in education.
