Grants Dashboard

The proposed 'CCH TCE: Special Project will implement targeted strategies for the provision of substance misuse, abuse, and harm reduction services, facilitated access to treatment, and peer recovery support services for people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. All project participants will: (a) be assessed as misusing or abusing drugs and/or alcohol, or have a substance use disorder involving drugs and/or alcohol; (b) not fully engaged in harm reduction, treatment, and/or recovery support services; and (c) all participants will be residing in supportive housing for single adults and adult couples that is operated and managed by CCH in the City & County of Denver, Colorado. To reduce health and social risks, including risk of death, the project will expand participants' access to evidence-based harm reduction and peer recovery support services, as well as provide facilitated access to treatment. Potential for housing stability will be enhanced by project activities including social community events designed to increase participants' sense of belonging and community support. In year one, the project will enroll 75 participants and 30 additional participants will be enrolled annually in years 2 and 3. Within the first six months of project enrollment, 80% of participants will engage in project services. Thirty percent of participants who engage in the project's peer support services will reduce their substance use from intake to six months of project participation. During project enrollment, 50% of participants will be referred to substance use disorder treatment. In year 1, the project will distribute 850 harm reduction supplies to project participants, including fentanyl test strips and overdose reversal medications; in year 2, 835 harm reduction supplies; and in year 3, 750 harm reduction supplies. Fifty percent of participants will engage in community events within 6 months of project enrollment. A total of 135 participants will be served throughout the 3-year project: 75 in year 1 and 90 in each subsequent year.

The Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® of Minnesota Center for Rural Behavioral Health (CRBH) at Minnesota State University, Mankato was founded in 2021. At the heart of its mission is a goal to increase access to behavioral health services in outstate Minnesota. A primary method for achieving this goal and the focus of this Congressional Designated Spending project is the development of a Mental Health Training Clinic. The training clinic will positively impact rural Minnesotans by increasing access to mental health services and increasing the number of mental health professionals eligible to practice in Minnesota. The training clinic will function as a clinical placement site for students enrolled in a range of behavioral health program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Students will provide services under the supervision of a student-focused interdisciplinary team of professionals who are committed to serving clients from an integrated whole-person model (including direct care and case management). The training clinic will provide students with exposure to and appreciation for providing services to individuals living in rural Minnesota while also responding to the shortage of mental service providers in the region.

Youth Mental Health First Aid Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) will meet a continuing need for community members and caregivers to be literate in critical mental health signs and symptoms and to be better prepared to provide support and referrals to at-risk youth. The project aims to increase the number of people who participate in training as well as to increase the number of instructors who actively provide training in the state. Through this project we will train educators and volunteers within the New Hampshire (NH) Extension network and other partners in the state in the implementation of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s Youth Mental Health First Aid curriculum. These YMHFA instructors will offer trainings that will be available to any adult who lives with, works with, and/or cares for youth (e.g., parents, school staff, social service providers) throughout the state. To develop and coordinate this pool of instructors and to identify and recruit participants for classes, we will work closely with key partners in New Hampshire including our existing network of instructors, the National Association on Mental Illness (NAMI) NH, regional public health networks, local Community Mental Health Centers, and the NH Department of Education. By the end of the grant period, this project will have trained 600 community members and caregivers and will have added eight instructors to the statewide pool. We will aim to have at least 90% of participants report after the training that they are better prepared to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders (particularly serious mental illness and/or serious emotional disturbances); they are more able to offer initial support to those suffering; and they are more able to refer them to appropriate services.

With the "Improving access to mental and behavioral health services via a Psychiatric Consultation and Psychiatric Assessment Team Telemedicine model" project, St. Charles Health System (SCHS) proposes to (1) establish a Psychiatric Consultation Telemedicine model and (2) expand the service hours of its Psychiatric Assessment Team (PAT). These investments will meaningfully increase access to and quality of behavioral health care in Central Oregon, particularly for the most vulnerable and underserved residents, such as rural residents and individuals experiencing substance use disorders and mental health conditions. The population of focus for this project is individuals with behavioral health care needs in the Central Oregon region served by SCHS, which includes Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties. Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) will support planning for and implementing a new Psychiatric Consultation Telemedicine model at SCHS. CDS funds will allow SCHS to hire a Consult Liaison Psychiatrist, allocate time from other SCHS staff to plan, implement, oversee, and monitor this new program, and purchase necessary supplies and equipment. CDS funding will also support extending hours for SCHS' Psychiatric Assessment Team (PAT). Comprised of master's-level providers, the PAT performs crisis evaluation and support for SCHS Emergency Departments and medical floors in Bend, Redmond, Madras, and Prineville. CDS investment will allow SCHS’ two rural hospitals (Prineville and Madras) to offer 24/7 PAT consultations. Project Goals 1. By Dec. 2024, develop telemedicine platform for Behavioral Health specialty consultation. Objectives include: By Jan. 2025, train 75% of nursing and PAT staff at St. Charles Health System on the use of telemedicine interface and equipment. 2. By Jan. 2025, implement a comprehensive Consult Liaison program to provide psychiatric consultation, through telemedicine or in-person care, for patients presenting in the emergency department and/or inpatient medical floors with an identified need for a psychiatric assessment. Objectives include: By Jan. 2025, train 75% of providers, PAT staff and hospitalists at St. Charles Health System on the policies, procedures, and operations of the Consult Liaison service. By June 2025, 15-20 psychiatric consultations per week take place in the Emergency Department and/or the inpatient floors through face-to-face or telemedicine. 3. By March 2025, develop a quality improvement analysis of the Consult Liaison program. Objectives include: Beginning Feb. 2025, evaluate the new Consult Liaison service weekly for eight weeks and implement improvements as necessary by March 31, 2025. 4. By Jan. 2025, implement a comprehensive after-hours and weekend Psychiatric Assessment Team (PAT) response to Prineville and Madras hospitals through telemedicine to provide master’s-level crisis risk assessments and/or family sessions for patients presenting in the emergency department for a behavioral health crisis. Objectives include: By Dec. 2024, recruit and hire seven-day-per-week night shift PAT staff to be stationed at St. Charles Redmond Hospital. By Jan. 2025, train 75% of providers, PAT staff and hospitalists at St. Charles Health System on the policies, procedures and operations of Psychiatric Assessment Team consults utilizing telemedicine. SCHS expects to directly serve 825 persons with project funds.

RMEQ reaches an estimated 20,000 people through its innovative programs delivered by LBGTQ+ and allied staff and volunteers each year. The Improving Access to Mental Health Treatment for Colorado’s LGBTQ+ Youth Community initiative will make these life-saving services more accessible to individuals who face geographic and economic barriers to behavioral health care. With funding from SAMHSA, RMEQ will purchase two electric buses that will transport clients to and from RMEQ facilities. This project will 1) enhance convenience and reliability so that individuals can consistently attend appointments and activities, which leads to 2) increased utilization rates, which ultimately leads to 3) better health outcomes and continuity of care.

In our proposal for Congressional Discretionary Spending, Behavioral Health for Youth & Young Adults at Holy Cross Hospital, Sinai Health System’s Holy Cross Hospital will add behavioral health services for 75 or more youth and young adults ages 6-24 at risk or screening positively for serious mental health conditions. They will receive approximately 3,600 visits during the year. The program (to be named Under the Rainbow) will provide assessment, case management, counseling, advocacy, transportation, and referrals. Sinai’s Holy Cross Hospital serves 14 community areas across 7 zip codes in southwest Chicago with a Hardship Index Score of 86 (out of 100); the residents face severe hardships in terms of employment, housing, education, and poverty; factors that highly correlate with poor mental and physical health. In Sinai Chicago’s 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) process, as well as in 2016 and 2019, we heard from southwest Chicago community members that behavioral health and collective trauma within our communities – caused by repeated exposure to violence, racism, and socioeconomic threats to wellbeing – are key areas in need of immediate attention. HCH’s program ( to be named Under the Rainbow like its counterpart at Mount Sinai)will provide high-quality, trauma-informed, effective, and timely assessment and treatment services to youth through young adults who have experienced abuse, neglect, or complex trauma, and will also provide treatment for a wide range of issues including depression, anxiety, ADHD, psychotic disorders, grief/loss, school related problems, and family conflict. The program has two goals: 1) Complete all preparation to begin Youth, Adolescent ad Young Adult Services in Holy Cross offices by December 2024 and 2) Implementation of the Youth, Adolescent and Young Adult Services Program at Holy Cross for the remainder of the award period. HCH UTR (under interim PD, Katherine Hall) will recruit and hire a 1.0 FTE Project Director/Clinical Supervisor to manage the emerging caseload and assist with the recruitment and on-the-job training of the psychotherapists and other staff to provide services within 60 days of the start date. HCH will hire three full-time psychotherapists, allocate a 50% FTE psychiatrist, and allocate or recruit a 50% FTE case manager, a 1 FTE central scheduler and support specialist, and 65% FTE insurance verifier to implement the program. Additionally, the program will engage community- and faith-based organizations, other child/adult-serving providers, and relevant public agencies in Southwest Chicago to maximize and coordinate treatment services and supports as indicated through social determinants of health screening to maximize the impact of these services in patients' lives.

Project Name: Community Resiliency Support Services (CRSS) The Chinese-American Planning Council’s (CPC) Community Resiliency Support Services (CRSS) project will boost CPC’s capacity to implement targeted education and outreach to reduce cultural stigma surrounding mental health care among low-income, immigrant, and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in New York City (NYC), to raise awareness of and connect community members to available services, and to provide mental health screenings. Background and Population to be Served: CPC’s mission is to promote the social and economic empowerment of Chinese American, immigrant, and low-income communities. CPC provides community-based child care, youth, workforce development, senior, special needs, and home attendant services to 80,000+ low-income community members annually who must overcome additional language, culture, generational, and technology barriers to access health and mental health services. In the AAPI community, discussing and accessing mental health care is stigmatized, and the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing social and economic disruption have worsened social determinants of health (SDOH) such as financial stability and housing and food insecurities among NYC’s low-income, immigrant, and AAPI communities. Even years after the onset of the pandemic, low-income and immigrant AAPI community members have not recovered from the ongoing and negative health and mental health impacts of the pandemic, and the rise in Asian hate has also negatively impacted the mental health of AAPI New Yorkers. Goals and Strategies/Interventions: CRSS has three chief goals: 1) raise community awareness of health/mental health care needs and available services/resources, including those established to offer relief for pandemic-related issues; 2) reduce cultural stigma surrounding mental health care and/or reduce/remove barriers to accessing services; and 3) advance efforts to combat anti-Asian violence and reduce the impact of growing insecurity and anxiety among vulnerable AAPI that stem from anti-Asian racism. CPC has identified the following strategies to achieve these goals: 1) expand outreach and education; 2) expand mental health screenings, case management, and referrals; and 3) provide neighborhood safety and belonging services. Measurable Objectives: By the end of the grant period (September 29, 2025), CPC expects to achieve these measurable results: 1) conduct eight community based education/outreach events; 2) conduct six mental-health-focused trainings for CPC and/or partner staff and/or community members; 3) develop and implement 12 ethnically-targeted mental health marketing/media campaigns to reach at least 100,000 NYC residents; 4) conduct at least eight culturally-appropriate support group sessions for AAPI community members; 5) conduct at least 600 mental health screenings for individuals who initially seek CPC’s assistance for issues such as food or housing; 6) conduct nine workshops focused on reducing stigma around mental health care, improving SDOH, and reducing barriers to using health and mental health services; 7) conduct three workshops on topics such as self-defense and reporting anti-Asian violence to increase confidence among AAPI individuals in protecting themselves and combating racism; 8) conduct at least two community-based inter-cultural event to build cross-cultural understanding. Number of Individuals Served: CPC will serve 1,100 (600 unduplicated) individuals through direct CRSS services such as mental health screenings, workshops, and discussion groups. Outreach, education, and awareness campaigns will reach at least 100,000 individuals.

Mid-Fairfield Child Guidance Center (also referred to as Mid-Fairfield Community Care Center (Mid-Fairfield)) FY2024 Congressionally Directed Spending project is a collaborative effort of Mid-Fairfield and Norwalk Public Schools (NPS) (additional project partners include but are not limited to the Child Health and Development Institute (CHDI), City of Norwalk Community Services Department, and Norwalk ACTs). The project is titled: Mid-Fairfield / Norwalk Public Schools: Comprehensive Mental Health and Wellness Services & Supports Initiative. The purpose of the project is to help close the gap in equitable access to comprehensive mental health and wellness services and supports by building upon our current partnership with Norwalk Public Schools (NPS) to improve, expand, enhance, and augment the array of mental health services provided to students, parents/caregivers (families), and teachers/support staff. Embedding support within schools reduces barriers that many families experience when seeking mental health services for their children. In addition to providing direct counseling (e.g., individual, family, group therapies) and wraparound care coordination, directly to students and families, Mid Fairfield will provide consultation and coaching (e.g., tiered interventions, trainings (trauma, social-emotional tools and strategies)) to teachers/support staff to build a foundation and framework that creates safe and supportive school environments that foster resilience and recovery which are critical for improving student outcomes. The proposed program model is based on the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework which promotes increasing awareness of mental health issues through education at the lowest level to providing more intensive direct services for school-ages youth at the highest level of need. Mid-Fairfield will deploy licensed clinicians, care coordinators, and mental health consultants (English- and/or Spanish-speaking) to be hired and supervised by Mid Fairfield and embedded within identified NPS schools. The project will also used evidenced based curricula and data-based decision making to provide a clear framework to address mental health and behavior issues while promoting a health school climate and culture.

The City of Everett aims to establish an Alternative Response Team designed to assist individuals facing behavioral and mental health crises. This initiative will encompass crisis response, care coordination, and medical referrals. The primary objectives of the program are to enhance the availability of behavioral health response hours per week and reduce the reliance on Police, Fire, and EMS deployments in situations where behavioral health services are more suitable. It is anticipated that the program will serve 750 individuals annually.

Briarpatch Youth Services requests a one year $400,000 SAMHSA grant to plan, develop, and implement its Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) Program. The project will provide clinical and therapeutic counseling services to youth ages 12-17 who have runaway, are experiencing homelessness, have become involved in the justice system, or are otherwise facing challenges. Serving Dane County, Wisconsin, the project will serve approximately 60-75 youth annually when fully operational. CCS is a State of Wisconsin program that is administered by each county in the state. It is an integrated behavioral health program for youth with severe emotional disturbance. The project will employ 5.1FTE employees during the 1-year start-up phase. The goal of the project is to create a sustainable, fully functioning CCS program which will help youth with mental health concerns a) improve health, b) promote wellness, c) achieve personal goals, and d) enhance overall quality of life. To accomplish this goal, the project will hire credentialed staff, develop policies and procedures, complete Dane County CCS provider enrollment, institute a data collection plan according to Dane County requirements, perform client outreach, and begin offering services. At the end of the project period, the CCS Program has a goal to be financially self-sustaining. The program will offer services to promote: a) development of coping skills to manage the issues posed by mental illness, b) development of interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, and assertiveness, c) identification of supports and advocating for those supports, d) therapy/counseling, e) management of medication, f) assistance in gaining and utilizing life skills, g) coordination of services to ensure the individual receives timely and appropriate care, and, h) referral for substance use disorder. Briarpatch Youth Services is uniquely qualified to serve this youth population. Serving Dane County and metropolitan Madison, Wisconsin for more than 53 years, the agency offers a broad array of services to youth and their families. These services include: youth shelter, 24-hour help-line, individual, group, and family counseling, outreach, employment assistance, and restorative justice programming. The Comprehensive Community Services Program, will improve the depth and breadth of counseling services available at the agency, improving its clients’ long-term mental health outcomes.

The project, Expansion and Enhancement of Mental and Behavioral Health Services, aims to increase and strengthen mental and behavioral health services at Mississippi State University (MSU) to support students and the local community in Northeast and East Central Mississippi. The project involves developing a new mental and behavioral health clinic at the Meridian campus and hiring behavioral health navigators at the Meridian and Starkville campuses to increase students’ access to services. The project targets diverse populations, including low-income, rural, and minority groups, and seeks to improve access to high-quality mental health care, address the shortage of trained professionals, and foster a culture of well-being at MSU. The primary goal of this project is to expand and enhance mental and behavioral health resources and facilities to support faculty, staff, students and the local community at MSU. The objectives for the project are as follows: Objective 1: Prepare a dedicated space for the mental and behavioral health clinic at the Meridian campus. • Renovate space to include 12 clinic rooms and 12 offices • Hire security/police offers and a licensed professional counselor-supervisor (LPC-S) • Purchase furniture and decor for clinic rooms, offices, and waiting room • Purchase office equipment necessary for a successful clinic (i.e., computers, scanners, copiers) • Purchase psychological assessment instruments • Purchase intervention materials necessary for children • Provide professional development for 12 practitioners and 18 students • Provide liability insurance for 12 practitioners Objective 2: Expand access to mental and behavioral health services by hiring behavioral health navigators to further support students on both the Meridian and Starkville campuses • Hire eight behavioral health navigators • Train behavioral health navigators to provide outreach, education, and referral services to students in need of mental and behavioral health support • Increase the number of students who access Student Counseling Services by 10% compared to the previous academic year • Use the evaluation results to inform program improvement and sustainability A total of 39 individuals will receive training: 12 practitioners and 18 students at the new clinic in Meridian will participate in mental health professional development, while 8 Behavioral Health Navigators and 1 program coordinator will be trained to provide outreach, education, and referral services to students in need of mental and behavioral health support. Mississippi State University is committed to providing high-quality mental and behavioral health services and training opportunities to various populations, including college students, children, adolescents, adults, couples, families, rural residents, low-income individuals, and minorities. We have established strong partnerships with local schools, hospitals, clinics, agencies, and organizations that serve the mental and behavioral health needs of the community. We have the expertise, infrastructure, and resources to successfully implement the proposed grant project and achieve its goals and objectives.

At the Kettle Moraine YMCA, the Community Care Model has been a guide to the development of the Mental Health Department within our YMCA since 2021. Through this model, we have developed four projects that are intended to act as preventative measures to aid in mitigating the mental health crisis in our communities. The four projects include: 1. Implementation and evaluation of Social and Emotional Learning in our before/after care and day camp programs, 2. Development of a mental and behavioral health initiative within our youth programs, 3. The restructure, development, and implementation of peer-to-peer youth mentorship programs, and 4. Providing mental health education for the YMCA staff and community members. Through these projects, we engage in strategies that increase mental health literacy and awareness. In addition, our efforts reduce risk of mental health crisis through strategies that develop and encourage effective coping skills and community support. Education and training of YMCA staff in topics like crisis management, how to detect signs of struggling and mental illness, and empowering staff to connect with formal support acts as an early intervention in promoting overall mental health within our communities. We anticipate serving approximately 1,200 youth in Washington and Ozaukee Counties annually. Our SEL curriculum objectives will be measured using the DESSA-SSE evaluation tool. All are welcome in our programs regardless of socio-economic status. We offer all of our mental health programs free of charge so as to reduce any barriers to participation.

Funding will be used to expand the availability and accessibility of core programming, providing children and their caregivers with access to free grief support through age appropriate, peer-support group sessions. This request would help us expand services for children ages 3-18 and their families in Rhode Island by allowing us to: 1. Host a summer bridge program 2. Increase availability of Program Director/Licensed Clinician to assist schools and other community organizations when the loss of a child/staff member impacts the community 3. Increase availability and accessibility of services to urban and Latinx/BIPOC youth in the Providence County area

""System of Care Supports for Youth Crisis Interventions"" (""SOC Supports"") is a project by Elkhart County, IN through its sub-recipient, Oaklawn Psychiatric Center and its system of care, The SOURCE, to expand its infrastructure, collaborations, and programming to support successful transitions from crisis to stability for children and youth through their involvement in Oaklawn's Mobile Response Stabilization Services (MRSS). ""SOC Supports'"" mission is to enhance Elkhart County's youth crisis care continuum serving children and youth ages 6-21 with, or at risk for, serious emotional disturbance. Recognizing that well-crafted transitions are a key to stability following crisis, Elkhart County proposes to expand its system of care's infrastructure and capacity to support successful implementation of the model and achieve expected outcomes. This includes the build-out of intensive home and community-based services in the stabilization and transition phases of MRSS. The build-out of the system will involve mental health services, community supports, and the infrastructure to develop it. Since we know stabilization components in MRSS may continue beyond the immediate crisis needs, depending on youth and/or family preferences, and clinical and functional needs of the family system, an expanded services continuum into which to nest the mobile response is vital. Throughout the life of the project, “SOC Supports” proposes to serve 400 youth averaging 100 annually. Our goals for “SOC Supports” include: (1) To provide access to crisis and stabilization services through an MRSS model integrated across child/youth serving systems; (2) To expand the system of care's focus to support youth with multiple system involvement; (3) To create a group of empowered and educated youth and family members to inform and drive MRSS; (4) To provide access to services for youth without a funding source for mental health services; (5) To increase the county's capacity to prevent youth suicides; (6) To impact disparities in service access; (7) To increase ""transition to adulthood"" services for youth across the county.