THAT WAS ONCE THE SALTON SEA? ♪ SOLEDAD: I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO "MAERTT OF FACT." AMERICA’S TEENAGERS ARE IN CRISIS. THAT’S THE WARNING FROM U.S. SURGEON GENERAL VIVEK MURT.HY OVER THE PAST DECADE, RATES OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ON THE RISE. THE NESTWE RESEARCH SHOWS THE PANDEMIC MADE IT WORSE. ACCORDING TO A JUST-RELEASED NATIONAL SURVEY BY THE CDC, 44% OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS REPORT PERSISTENT FEELINGS OF SADNESS OR HOPELESSNESS DURING THE PANDEMIC. THAT’S A 40% INCREASE FROM .0920 AS KIDS AND PARENTS SEEK HELP, THEY ARE FACING A NATIONWIDE ORSHTAGE OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, A LACK OF THERAPISTS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS, FEW TAKING INSURANCE, AND NG WAITING LISTS. SCHOOLS ARE TRYING TO FILL IN THE GAPS, BUT SCHOOL COUNSELORS ARE OVERLOADED. OUR CORRESPONDENT JESSICA GOMEZ VISITED ONE LOS GEANSLE COMMUNITY, WHERE EDUCATORS ARE TRYING TO FAST-TRACK THE HELP KIDS NEED. JESSICA: IN THE LOS ANGELES SUBURB OF PICO RIVERA, HIGH SCHOOL LIFE SLOWLY GETTING BACK TO NORL. CHARLINE BRAVO: JUST STEPPING INTO CAMPUS AGAIN FELT REAYLL GOOD, BECAUSE NOW I AM ACTUALLY ABLE TO PHYSICALLY TALK TO PEOPLE. JESSICA: FOR ONLY CHILD CHARNELI BRAVO, THE ISOLATION OF BEING AT HOME ALONE FOR SO LONG WAS, AT TIMES, UNBEARABLE. CHARLINE BRAVO: ALL OFHA T SILENCE, IT WAS OVERWHELMING AT TIMES. JESSICA: BRAVO, PA ORTF AN INCREASED WAVE OF STUDENTS HERE, NOW SEEKING HELP FROM THE SCHOOL’S MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS. SONIA GUEVARA: WE ARE SEEING NEEDS THAT ARE MUCH MORE INTENSIVE THAN WE WOULD BEFORE THE PANDEM.IC JESSICA: THE EL RANCHO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, PREDOMINATELY LATINO, WAS HIT HARD DURING ETH PANDEMIC, AND SCHOOL WAS VIRTUAL FOR ALMOST A YEAR AND A HA.LF CARRIE SLICK: STUDENTS WILL COME IN AND THEIR HEART IS RACI,NG RIGHT? THEIR BREATHING IS SHALL.OW IT’S LIKE THEIR BODY DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO NCFUTION IAN CLASSROOM WHERE THEY HAVE TO SIT STILL, THEY HAVE TO FOCUS, THEY HAVE TO THINK, THEY HAVE TO SOLVE PROBLE.MS JESSIC WA:HILE THE DISTRICT HAS INCREASED FUNDING FOR MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS OVER THE PTAS DECADE, LIKE MANY OTHERS IN CALIFORNIA, IT NEEDS MORE. ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN OLHOSC COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION, CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS HAVE AN AVERAGE 572 STUDENTS FOR EVERY ONE COUNSELOR. THAT’S MORE THAN DOUBLE THE RECOMMENDED RATIO, RANNGKI CALIFORNIA AMONG THE BOTTOM 10 STATES IN THE NATI.ON CALIFORNIA’S STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUICBL INSTRUCTION TONY THURMOND. SUPT. THUMOND: OUR SCHOOL STFAF IS SEEING AN INCREASE IN BEHAVIORS, AS KIDS HAVE MECO BACK TO SCHOOL, THEY SEE A LOT OF EMOTIONAL NEEDS, THEY S A LOT OF DEPRESSION, A ANDT THE SAME, TIME, OUR SCHOOLS ARE SAYING WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH COUNSELORS TO MEET THAT NEED. JESSICA: THURMD ONIS NOW ASKING THE STATE FOR HELP, CO-SPONSORING LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PROVIDE GRANTS TO 10,000 STUDENTS GETTING THEIR MASTERS IN MENTAL HEALTH FIELDS. IN EXCHANGE FOR THE $25,000 GRANT, EACH GRADUATE WOULD HAV TO COMMIT TO TWO YEARS WORKING IN SCHOOLS OR OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE KIDS. SUPT. THUMOND: THIS N CABE SOMEONE WHO HAS A MASTER’S IN SOCIAL WORK, A MASTERS IN FAMILY THERAPY, MASTERS IN PSYCHOLO,GY OR A MASTERS IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY, AND THEY WILL GET ACCESS TO SCHOLARSHIPS AND LNOA DEFERRALS AND OTHER THINGS THAT WILL HELP US TO INCREASEHE PIPELINE OF FOLKS WHO WANT TO BE MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIANS. JESSICA: A SOLUTION COUNSERSLO HERE SAY CAN’T COME FAST ENOUGH. SONIA GUEVARA: IT’S IMPERATIVE THAT THEY ARE AVAILABLE FOR A STUDENT AT THE SCHOOL, SOMEWHERE THEY ARE COMFORTABLE, THEY ARE FAMILIAR, AND IT MIGHT BE THE ONLY PLACE THEY RECEIVE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OR GET ANY SORT OF PROFESSIONAL HELP. CHARLI BNERAVO: I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SLEEP, WHICH WAS GREAT. JESSICA: FOR CHARLINE BRAVO, TIME WITH HER COUNSELOR, SHE SAYS, HAS LITERALLY BEEN A LEIF SAR.VE CHARLINE BRAVO: I VEHA A LOTF O , LIKE, BUILT-UP TRAUMA, AND IF I SWA NOTBL AE TO ABOUT IT, I WOULDN’T BE HERE. I AM VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT. JESSICA: IN PICO RIVERA, CALIFORNIA, FOR "MATTER OF FACT," I’M JESSICA GOMEZ. SOLEDAD: SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? THE PROPOSAL IS IN THE STATE SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE BUT HAS NOT BEEN SCHEDULED F AOR HEARING. IN THE COMING WEEKS, WE’LL HAVE MORE ON KIDS’ MENTAL HEALTH, INCLUDING A LOOK AT SOME INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS THAT HELP TEENAGERS COPE WITH SOME OF THE