Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 19, 2025
06:16
Signal Acquisition, Score Interpretation, and Economics of a Non-Invasive Point-of-Care Test for Coronary Artery Disease
Published on: August 9, 2024
657
Evaluating the Cost of Prevention Programming and Universal Screening with Discrete Event Simulation
Nathaniel von der Embse1,2, Andrew S Jenkins3, Kenneth Christensen3
1University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA. natev@usf.edu.
Administration and Policy in Mental Health
|February 1, 2021
Summary
Discrete Event Simulation (DES) models school mental health services, showing significant cost savings and reduced disciplinary issues. This approach helps administrators optimize resources for student well-being.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Services Research
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- School mental health services are crucial for student well-being and academic success.
- Implementing effective mental health programs faces challenges related to cost, personnel, and resource allocation.
- Traditional models may not be cost-effective or adequately address student needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the potential costs and personnel requirements for integrated mental health services in schools using Discrete Event Simulation (DES).
- To compare the financial and disciplinary outcomes of a prevention-oriented mental health model with a 'business as usual' approach.
- To demonstrate how DES can aid school decision-makers in planning and implementing effective mental health services.
Main Methods:
- Discrete Event Simulation (DES) was employed to model personnel, time, and costs associated with an integrated school mental health service model.
- Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted by comparing the DES model outcomes to a standard care model.
- Data were analyzed to quantify financial savings and changes in disciplinary referrals and suspensions.
Main Results:
- The prevention-oriented mental health model demonstrated substantial cost savings, estimated at approximately $30,000 annually for a school of 1000 students.
- Implementation of the prevention model led to a 50% reduction in disciplinary referrals and a 22% reduction in suspensions.
- DES modeling provided insights into resource allocation, allowing for customization to local conditions and student needs.
Conclusions:
- Implementing a prevention-focused mental health model in schools offers significant financial benefits and reduces disciplinary infractions.
- Discrete Event Simulation is a valuable tool for school administrators to plan, budget, and optimize mental health service delivery.
- The findings suggest that DES can help overcome common barriers to adopting universal screening and preventative mental health services in educational settings.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Preventive Healthcare Services
1.5K
Preventive healthcare services keep people healthy via frequent check-ups, screening, and counseling. They primarily aid in disease prevention rather than treating an acute or chronic illness. Preventive treatment also keeps individuals productive and energetic, allowing them to work well into their retirement years. Examples of preventive care services include:
1.5K
02:46Genetic Screens
5.3K
Genetic screens are tools used to identify genes and mutations responsible for phenotypes of interest. Genetic screens help identify individuals or a group of people at risk of developing genetic diseases and help them with early intervention, targeted therapy, and reproductive options.
Forward genetic screens
Forward or “classical” genetic screens involve creating random mutations in an organism’s DNA using radiation, mutagens, or insertion of additional bases, which...
Forward genetic screens
Forward or “classical” genetic screens involve creating random mutations in an organism’s DNA using radiation, mutagens, or insertion of additional bases, which...
5.3K
01:09Censoring Survival Data
363
Survival analysis is a statistical method used to analyze time-to-event data, often employed in fields such as medicine, engineering, and social sciences. One of the key challenges in survival analysis is dealing with incomplete data, a phenomenon known as "censoring." Censoring occurs when the event of interest (such as death, relapse, or system failure) has not occurred for some individuals by the end of the study period or is otherwise unobservable, and it might have many different...
363
01:26Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
13.9K
Health promotion allows a person to control the determinants of health, resulting in an improved health status. It enhances the quality of life and reduces premature deaths. Health promotion and illness prevention programs help people make beneficial choices to reduce the risk of disease and disabilities. There are three health promotion and illness prevention levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
13.9K
01:08Prevalence and Incidence
1.1K
In statistical epidemiology and health sciences, two essential metrics—prevalence and incidence—are fundamental for understanding disease dynamics within a population. These measures enable public health officials, epidemiologists, and researchers to assess the burden of diseases, allocate resources effectively, and design impactful public health policies and interventions.
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...
1.1K
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
266
Biopharmaceutical studies constitute a vital field aiming to enhance drug delivery methods and refine therapeutic approaches, drawing upon diverse interdisciplinary knowledge. In research methodologies, the choice between controlled and non-controlled studies significantly influences the study's reliability and accuracy.
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
266