Catholic Charities gets federal grant to expand mental health services
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton has been awarded $4 million in federal funding to expand mental health services and addiction treatment.
The funds – granted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – are intended to support the agency’s CCBHC work over the next two years. CCBHC stands for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. It’s an evidence-based model designed to increase access in community-based settings to mental health services for people with serious mental illness, children with serious emotional disturbance, individuals with co-occurring mental and substance disorders, and people who need crisis intervention services.
“We are so grateful for the opportunity to continue to work alongside SAMHSA and utilize federal funding to treat the most underserved populations. The CCBHC Expansion grant helps to support access to services for the most vulnerable and at-risk members of our communities and continues to drive best care and integrated health practice,” said Lisa Lawson, Director of Clinical & Integrated Health at Catholic Charities (pictured, right).
New programs created
Catholic Charities first launched its CCBHC services in July 2017. The nonprofit was one of just seven providers statewide chosen to pilot the new model of care. In 2018, Catholic Charities received $4 million in SAMHSA funding, which supported the expansion of CCBHC services and development of programs including:
* Crisis Intervention Support Services. This program provides rapid-access mental health crisis and urgent care counseling services provided in a comfortable, patient-centered environment.
* Family Access Center. This program provides comprehensive, family-focused, outpatient mental health services for children and families in eastern Mercer County, an underserved area. One goal of this program is to increase access to mental health services in the Spanish-speaking community; all staff is bilingual.
Breaking down barriers to mental health treatment
Lawson said the new funding will empower Catholic Charities to continue meeting this critical need in the community.
“There is a great and ongoing need to provide access to comprehensive integrated healthcare services, especially to those with barriers to treatment. Catholic Charities is here to support our community’s dynamic and ongoing needs,” Lawson said. “Whether it’s mental health treatment or access to primary care services, we’re here for the community, and CCBHCs meet this need.”
In a 2016 report, then-Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy found that while one in seven people in the U.S. is expected to develop a substance use disorder, only one in 10 will receive treatment.
For help
To connect with professional, compassionate care, call our Access, Help and Information Center at (800) 360-7711.
Subscribe for more news
For more information, contact Lisa Lawson, director of Clinical & Integrated Health at Catholic Charities, at [email protected]; or Dana DiFilippo, Catholic Charities communications, at [email protected] or (215) 756-6277 (cell).
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