Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Ohioans between the ages of 10 to 14 , according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Now, more help is on the way for young people struggling with mental health issues in the state this October.

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is partnering with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) and Hazel Health to provide teletherapy services for students throughout the state.

In total, about 160,000 students will be impacted by this partnership, according to a news release from OhioMHAS.

"This partnership will enable us to provide real-time mental health therapy to children at home or at school, helping them access crucial supports when and where they're needed," said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

OhioMAHS awarded $1.6 million in SOAR Network Grant Funding to Hazel, which is a telehealth provider, to work with school systems to build infrastructure needed to bring convenient mental health services directly to students.

This initiative will bring local, licensed on-staff mental health professionals with students in need of services to help them overcome things like anxiety, depression, bullying and more, according to OhioMHAS.

It builds on current services delivered by many community-based behavioral health providers already in Ohio, according to OhioMHAS Director LeeAnne Cornyn.

"School-based partnerships are growing, but we know barriers to access remain for many students," Cornyn said. "Telehealth is another layer and location of support for students."

Across the country, the rate of children reporting mental health issues has increased. Numbers from the most recent Ohio Healthy Youth Environments Survey show that about 37% of young people who participated reported feeling sad or hopeless every day for two weeks or more.

Additionally, nearly 14% reported they had seriously considered committing suicide in the past year.

Ohio school districts will get more information about this developing partnership in the weeks to come. They must indicate interest and provide information on existing partnerships in this field.

This information will be reviewed and services will be offered to the districts found in the greatest need.