Campus Clinic, based in Irvine, Calif., previously contracted with the Chula Vista Elementary School District to provide on-site student health-care services like wellness checks, vaccinations, COVID-19 testing and nutrition education. On May 15, the company announced that it will now provide two free online mental health counseling sessions to each of the 3,000 staff members, according to the news release. Those services were already available to the 30,000 students in the district.
District officials said Chula Vista ESD’s heightened staff turnover corresponds with the 2022 Gallup Poll that found nearly half of K-12 teachers nationwide report feeling burned out at work.
"We want to ensure our staff members always have access to the mental health support they need," Chula Vista Assistant Superintendent Jason Romero said in a public statement. "We are excited to see how Campus Clinic will connect our teachers, classified staff, administrators and other staff members with easy-to-access services, including wellness assessments and therapy."
The goal of this program for staff members is to help them understand and act on any indicators of anxiety or depression and find a longer-term wellness plan, according to the news release.
"On-campus health care should be accessible and convenient to everyone, including all of the adults who are critical to the school community," Campus Clinic President Thomas Shaffer said in a public statement. "We simply cannot overlook the growing need for staff mental health resources. Our goal is to make therapy and other services more accessible than ever before, especially for teachers."
According to its website, Campus Clinic serves more than 600 schools, but Chula Vista ESD is the only client specifically named. Shaye McClory, speaking for Campus Clinic, said in an email that the company is serving a total of 42 school districts in California and Oregon.
