Lincoln Community HS launches mental health line for students

LINCOLN, Ill. (WAND) — According to CDC data, 29% of high school students described their mental health as poor in 2023. To combat these concerns, Lincoln Memorial Hospital's Youth Mental Health Coalition introduced the "Railer Reach Out" Program.

Lincoln Memorial Hospital
via Memorial Health

Every freshman at Lincoln Community High School can decide if they want to participate in the program, and receive 2-3 texts a month with mental health resources. Molly McCain, the Community Health Coordinator at LMH connected with students to see which topics they would like covered.

"We had a small focus group that we worked with and they helped decide what topics we wanted to post to these students, as well as what the messages look like," said McCain. "The goal is to provide resources to students for mental health, substance use, peer pressure and things like that."

These texts can range from information on mental health helplines to people to talk to for help at the school. Administrators say students need the support.

"Just across America in general, mental health is a hot button topic, and it's something that we need to address, and we need to help," said LGHS Assistant Principal Candace Schmidt. "Students don't know how to deal with their emotions, so giving them the resources out there that communities can give us is just so important for them."

Staff plan to meet with the student focus groups throughout the year to determine how well the program is working and if anything needs to change. They hope to expand the program to the rest of the school.