The Eastern Area Health Education Center (AHEC) expanded its school mental health project with a grant awarded by The Duke Endowment. The grant funds allowed Eastern AHEC to build upon a previous grant from The Duke Endowment to provide in-depth training on child and adolescent mental health topics to school nurses, counselors, social workers, psychologists, resource officers, administrators and others.

Eastern AHEC planned to use the grant to establish a Center of Excellence in School Mental Health in collaboration with schools and departments at East Carolina University, state agencies and consumer, advocacy and professional organizations. The center would coordinate continuing education in school mental health, disseminate information, promote collaboration among agencies, organizations and institutions of higher learning, and foster system changes to address mental health issues in school reform.

In addition, Eastern AHEC:

1. Developed curriculum guides, online and classroom training on eight topics;