75 Arkansas Schools selected to receive funds from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Seventy-five Arkansas schools have been selected to receive $2,500 each from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield to open “calming rooms” on their campuses for use by students who need to de-stress or otherwise regulate their emotions.
The company announced its Take Good Care Calming Room initiative in July in an effort to address the needs of some 83,100 Arkansas students — better than one in 10 students — who deal with anxiety and depression.
“The same way students have difficulty focusing in class when they are hungry or tired, they can’t be their best selves in the classroom or at home if they are dealing with issues like stress and anxiety,” Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield President and Chief Executive Officer Curtis Barnett said in announcing the grants.
“In recognition of Arkansas Blue Cross’ 75th Anniversary and our company’s commitment to improving access to behavioral health resources, we are investing in the creation of calming rooms in 75 Arkansas schools as one way to support better mental health for students,” Barnett said.
Calming rooms are intended to give students a quiet place to reflect and refocus so they can perform their best when they return to the classroom.
Each participating school will oversee the rules and usage of their calming rooms based on the needs of their students. The spaces can also be used for counseling sessions and group discussions.
Calming rooms typically feature soft lighting, tranquil colors, comfortable furniture, positive and inspirational messages, and journals, coloring books and other sensory objects.
Schools selected to receive calming room grants are:
- Howard County-Nashville Junior High School
- Pike County-Murfreesboro High School
- Sevier County-Horatio Public School
- Hempstead County-Hope High School
- Little River County-Ashdown High School
- Polk County-Mena High School
Arkansas Blue Cross did not receive applications from schools in all 75 counties as initially hoped,” Barnett said, “but we still wanted to fund 75 rooms, so we looked closely at the applications and were able to select additional schools in a few counties.”
