Fitchburg Public Schools

Before FPS’s partnership with Cartwheel, 15% of FPS students already received Tier 3 support thanks to an extensive network of student counselors. Despite these large investments in staffing, Fitchburg struggled to meet the language needs of all students. FPS also lacked the insurance connections needed to ensure equitable access to affordable care. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, skyrocketing mental health needs stretched the pre-existing counselor network beyond its limit and exacerbated prior inequities in care access.

FPS chose to partner with Cartwheel due to its flexible insurance options and ability to deliver care in a wide variety of languages which were well-suited for FPS’s diverse and low-income student population. After an initial pilot, funded by a grant from The Brookline Center, FPS counselors found that the flexibility and convenience of telehealth facilitated seamless integration into the support structures already in place for students. FPS now relies on Cartwheel to facilitate constant communication between schools, families, and clinicians, making it easier to coordinate with parents whose students need care. Families appreciate the ability to access Cartwheel’s care from home.