The Wilton Mental Health Task Force and the Wilton Youth Council jointly sent the following letter to Wilton’s Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance.

Wilton Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance:

  • Seven (7) reported suicide attempts by Wilton Public School students in the ‘21-22 school year.
  • Twenty-three (23) Wilton Public School student emergency mental health interventions this school year just through Nov. 17 — fourteen (14) of those cases involved suicidal ideation.
  • Fifty-eight (58) mental health assessments completed in the Silver Hill Hospital Urgent Assessment Program for residents of New Canaan and other neighboring towns, including Wilton, since its inception in July 2022 — approximately 60% were children and adolescents, and 40% were self-referring adults.

These statistics are terrifying and the increases in these trends are equally scary. There is a mental health crisis in this country and right here in Wilton. Nationally, CDC data show that suicide rates increased by 60% between 2008 and 2018 for those aged 10-24 years old and major depressive episodes increased by 60% in adolescents.

These trends have not improved since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adults are facing their own mental health challenges (22% received mental health treatment in 2021 according to CDC data) and many are struggling to address the mental health needs of their families. Moreover, the National Institute of Health cites a very high linkage between mental health and substance use disorders. Indeed, more than 60% of adolescents in community-based substance use disorder treatment programs also meet diagnostic criteria for another mental illness.

The work to address these issues locally is immense and the dedication of providers is inspiring. Yet, school staff and local providers are overwhelmed, stress on teachers is rising, and there are not ample services available locally. Various organizations have been working to address these challenges for several years and to increase general awareness about the mental health epidemic. In recent meetings with administrators and the mental health services teams at all Wilton Public Schools, Silver Hill Hospital, Kids in Crisis, Wilton Social Services, as well as other local organizations, we have identified a range of needs and gaps:

  • Suicide postvention training for town, community and school leaders
  • Improved access to local, timely, qualified mental health service providers and resources
  • Easily accessible, comprehensive, and relevant list of local mental health providers
  • Increased presence of mental health professionals in schools, particularly implementing TeenTalk in Middlebrook
  • Resources to help with discharge planning from inpatient and outpatient treatment when returning to home and school (facilities don’t provide and school staff are currently supporting families as best as they can)
  • Case management for youth and adults
  • Access to immediate local assessment for crisis mental health intervention for youth and adults (often takes 4-6 weeks currently)
  • Grant writer able to identify and apply for available mental health grant money 
  • Financial support even for people fully insured as insurance only covers partial

While not comprehensive, these represent essential and important steps that can be taken. We applaud the efforts that have been made to bring more resources into the schools. However, these efforts have been primarily funded out of the Board of Education budget. Good mental health is fundamental to creating a safe and constructive learning environment. But this problem is too big to be covered by the school district alone and should not take focus away from discussions about funding that is directed towards education expenses.

To that end, we believe this crisis can not be fought solely by the schools and existing local services; there must be a group effort to fill these gaps. We believe greater financial support from the town, other sources of private funding, and a broader community engagement are required. We are not blind to the financial pressures that are being confronted. However, the risk of inaction is too great. 

To kickstart broad engagement in this battle, there will be a community discussion about the state of mental health held on Friday, March 3, at 9:15 a.m. [at the Wilton Family YMCA] that will include a keynote address by Dr. Andrew Gerber, President and Medical Director at Silver Hill Hospital, and a panel of local mental health professionals and providers. You are all invited and are greatly encouraged to attend.

Thank you for your continued efforts to support the children and families of Wilton. We look forward to working with you and the rest of the families in town that are committed to this cause.

Sincerely,

Wilton Mental Health Task Force

Vanessa Elias
Miki Lasher
Jeffrey Palma
Lara Paschalidis

Wilton Youth Council

Chandra Ring, Executive Director
Board of Directors

 Cc:  Wilton Public Schools Board of Education
        Kevin Smith, Superintendent
        Charles Smith, Assistant Superintendent
        Andrea Leonardi, Assistant Superintendent
        Kathryn Coon, Principal, Miller Driscoll School
        Jennifer Falcone, Principal, Cider Mill School
        Jory Higgins, Principal, Middlebrook School
        Robert O’Donnell, Principal, Wilton High School
        Kimberly Zemo, Safe School Climate Coordinator