Warren County schools wins multi-year grant to expand teletherapy as sessions near capacity

Nicole Fish, Warren County’s coordinated school health director, told the school board the district has secured a multi‑year Rural Healthcare Resiliency Program grant to sustain and expand teletherapy and other mental‑health services for students.

Fish described the award as a three‑year grant for “over $900,000,” and the board later heard a member refer to the amount as $920,000. Fish said the funding will be used to continue teletherapy offered during school hours, keep a part‑time counselor at Warren Academy, and sustain a mental‑health therapist at the high school.

“We know that healthy students learn better,” Fish said while outlining the district’s health initiatives, citing efforts that span nutrition, physical activity, staff wellness and social‑emotional learning. She described teletherapy as a key piece of the district’s mental‑health work and said usage has grown rapidly: teletherapy sessions “almost doubled from August to now,” and the program is approaching capacity.

Fish noted grants previously helped start and expand teletherapy — including a Stronger Connections grant — and that the new Rural Healthcare Resiliency funding is intended to make those services sustainable over multiple years. She said staff are examining how to maintain the program as demand grows and capacity limits are reached.

Board members praised the district’s mental‑health efforts and asked staff to check on complementary programs. One member asked whether Tennessee Teens Talk Tobacco (T4) programming remains available at the high‑school level; Fish said she would follow up.

The presentation also covered smaller wellness initiatives: the district earned a Tennessee Healthier Schools Challenge silver award ($5,000) that was distributed across schools, parenting workshops piloted at each campus, walking clubs at multiple schools and a student‑led Teen Strong group focused on healthy lifestyles.

Next steps: staff said they will work on sustainability plans for teletherapy as demand grows, provide followup on the T4 program inquiry and return to the board with implementation details as grants and capacity planning proceed.