The West40 Regional Safe School was buzzing with excitement on February 24 as Governor JB Pritzker was on site to deliver an important message about the future of behavioral health services for Illinois youth.
Speaking in front of a packed gymnasium of West40 students, staff members, local and state dignitaries, and Chicago media, Governor Pritzker highlighted West40’s commitment to providing education services to youth, including those with behavioral health needs.
“We can’t do the work that needs to be done in the state of Illinois without West40 and organizations like it that help us deliver those services,” Pritzker said.
During the speaking event, the Governor released a new report from the Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative. The goal of the Initiative is to transform statewide systems to provide clear, consistent, and comprehensive guidance to families seeking mental health services for children.
According to a press release, the Initiative aims to accomplish five goals: adjusting capacity to ensure the right resources are available to youth in need, streamlining processes to make it easier for youth and families to access services, intervening earlier to prevent crises from developing, increasing accountability to ensure we have a transparent system, and developing agility so that the system can adjust to meet the evolving needs of youth.
“Through rate increases, community networks, and inter-agency collaboration, we are taking a multi-faceted, comprehensive approach to establish the number one children’s behavioral healthcare system in the nation,” Pritzker said.
West40 learned it had been selected to host the Governor’s event several weeks earlier.
“We are thrilled to be a part of this discussion. We’re thrilled to be part of planning forward, looking at how we can be part of doing some amazing things for students,” said West40 Executive Director Dr. Mark Klaisner.