The Burrow Blueprint: Advancing Primary Care Mental Health in Schools
Nationwide Children’s Hospital, with support from The Joe Burrow Foundation, has developed The Burrow Blueprint: Advancing Primary Care Mental Health in Schools, a powerful framework designed to strengthen school-based health centers across the country.
Built on three pillars — Education & Training, Peer-to-Peer Support and Local Implementation Guidance — this model empowers school-based primary care teams to confidently address student mental health needs in their local communities.
Starting with school-focused training modules covering integrated care, common primary care conditions like anxiety, depression and ADHD, and strategies for working within schools, Nationwide Children’s helps school-based teams feel equipped to meet their students’ mental health needs.
Through regular peer-to-peer check-ins, providers gain practical insights on treatment strategies, emerging trends and case guidance. We coordinate with local providers directly to establish connections with psychiatric experts for timely diagnostic consultations and, if necessary, follow-up care.
The Burrow Blueprint is about building capacity, fostering connection and improving outcomes, together.
“We’ve seen meaningful improvements in both students and families. Students struggling with mood or behavioral health challenges are now functioning better—academically and socially. Being embedded in the school allows us to connect them quickly to counseling or psychiatric care when needed. Families feel more supported and are more likely to engage in treatment when it begins in a familiar, trusted environment. The result is stronger continuity of care and deeper collaboration.”
— School-Based Health Provider
Our Approach
The Joe Burrow Foundation has partnered with Nationwide Children’s School Health Services to fund the development of The Burrow Blueprint and lead its roll-out in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Athens and Cincinnati, Ohio—communities Joe has called home.
This work begins with a comprehensive assessment of the health care provider and school district’s capabilities. This guides the development of a plan tailored to the specific needs of the local community. The plan serves as the foundation for school health consultants as they support implementation.
Local school health teams can expect:
Education & Training
A detailed plan to guide the use of the Nationwide Children’s developed primary care mental health training series for school-based health professionals.
This includes post-module feedback sessions facilitated by the School Health Team intended to set aside the time and space for local teams to ask questions and clarify key training concepts.
Peer-to-Peer Support
Support designing and launching a space for peers to ask questions, share lessons learned, and gather expert advice about treatment.
Peer relationships are central to the practice of integrated medicine, as they can improve the quality of care and the patient experience.
Local Implementation Guidance
Regular, structured and issue-specific discussions with the School Health Team intended to help communities navigate the operational, logistical and administrative challenges with implementing primary care mental health.
Topics include, but are not limited to, coordinating care with school partners, marketing and communications, evaluating success and building telepsychiatry programs.
Learn More
To learn more about The Burrow Blueprint and how our School Health Team can help you, please contact us.