To help address community needs, Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) is launching a regional telehealth initiative focused on improving youth mental health in schools with an aim of reaching 50,000 students a year. MCDPH intends to award a single Contractor with demonstrated success in school-based telehealth programs and will use $750,000 of JUUL settlement funding for the initiative in the first year. The cost-reimbursement contract will be renewable for an additional two years. The selected Contractor will deliver short-term virtual therapy sessions to students, with referral pathways for longer-term treatment. Services will be available during and outside of school hours, allowing students to connect with licensed providers from school or home.
The awarded Contractor will be responsible for recruiting schools, delivering services, and tracking program impact. While this funding is dedicated to students in Maricopa County, the resulting contract will include cooperative language that allows other government agencies throughout Arizona to utilize it with their own funding to expand the service within their respective regions. Each participating entity will be responsible for establishing its own scope of work, budget, and any additional terms and conditions with the awarded Contractor.
Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, private organizations, and academic institutions with at least five years of experience delivering telehealth-based mental health services.
Eligible applicants must:
- Demonstrate a minimum of five years of experience providing telehealth-based mental health services within school settings.
- Have at least three years of experience in billing insurance for behavioral health services.
- Have served a minimum of 600,000* students within the past five years.
- Demonstrate that current staffing includes mental health providers licensed in Arizona or provide detailed plan and timeline for securing Arizona licensure prior to service delivery.
- Commit to a minimum of $100,000 in in-kind contributions over the course of the year. Contributions may include staff time, technology, or other resources directly supporting service delivery.
*Applicants who have served a minimum of 300,000 students within the past five years may still be considered if they can provide clear evidence of the capacity to scale services.
Statewide