Project AWARE

Contact Information

Wyoming Project AWARE Director
Dustin Brown
(307) 631-5377
dustin.brown1@wyo.gov

Trauma-Informed Support Services Grant Coordinator
Danielle Ingleby
(307) 777-2949
danielle.ingleby@wyo.gov

The WDE has partnered with Care Solace to provide a resource to support families in your communities at no cost to the district. Care Solace is a mental health care coordination service which opens up additional pathways to services for our students, families, district personnel, and WDE personnel. Care Solace helps to overcome many of the barriers to mental health care that our communities experience such as language, long wait times, and insurance complexities. On average it takes 60 calls and 4-5 weeks to get matched with a mental health provider. With Care Solace, individuals are typically matched in under a week and you can track the progress of each student referral you send.

For more information contact Dustin Brown, Wyoming Project AWARE Director, at 307-631-5377 or dustin.brown1@wyo.gov.

Wyoming Project AWARE

In August 2020, the Wyoming Department of Education was awarded a five year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in order to implement Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) in our state. Project AWARE was established in 2014 as a part of a Federal safer schools initiative. The current program provides school-based mental health services, with parental consent, substance abuse education, violence and bullying prevention education and family engagement. The Project AWARE Grant is designed to supplement existing mental health services within the community and remove potential barriers to care: financial, transportation, etc. by providing funding through the grant. Since 2020, Wyoming has been awarded two additional grants and has used American Rescue Plan funds to now provide services in 13 school districts.

The WDE SAMHSA Team has identified four goals for Project AWARE:

Increase access to mental health and substance abuse services for school aged youth.
Increase district’s student, parent, and family knowledge of mental health and substance abuse services available, develop student skills that will promote resilience, prosocial behaviors, and prevent youth violence through outreach, engagement, and training.
Increase each district’s capacity to recognize and appropriately respond to mental health and substance abuse needs of students through professional development and training.
Develop state and district level infrastructures to foster wellness in school-aged youth and their families.

Project AWARE currently has services in the following districts:

2020 Cohort

Campbell County School District #1
Fremont County School District #1
Park County School District #1

2021 Cohort

Carbon County School District #1
Sweetwater County School district #1
Uinta County School District #1

2022 Cohort

Sweetwater County School District #1
Sweetwater County School District #2

2023 Cohort

Big Horn County School District #1
Big Horn County School District #2
Big Horn County School District #3
Goshen County School District #1
Niobrara County School District #1
Park County School District #16

Mission:

Wyoming Project AWARE’s mission is to reduce the impact of behavioral health conditions and substance abuse within Wyoming communities.

Vision:

To provide evidence-based practices and leadership through appropriate programs, information, data, funding, and partnerships to support behavioral health and substance use education, prevention, treatment, and recovery in order to improve community health.

Suicide Postvention Guide

SAMHSA Surveys

The SAMHSA survey is administered in years one, three and five of the grant as a requirement of our grant objectives. The purpose of the survey is to collect information about district students so we can better understand their experiences, opinions, and knowledge in three areas:

School and Community Experiences
Attitudes about Substance-Related Issues
Knowledge of Mental Health Issues.

The information collected will help the district plan and implement strategies for strengthening students’ school and community experiences, and educating youth about mental health and alcohol/drug related issues.