Lake County Health Department Awarded $3.4
Million in Grants to Expand Behavioral Health Capacity
Waukegan, Ill.
— The Lake County Health
Department and Community Health Center has announced that it will receive four
federal grants totaling $3.4 million to address the growing need for behavioral
health services in Lake County. Funding will be used to expand Lake County’s Community
Support Services, Mental Health First Aid training, Medication-Assisted
Treatment (MAT) services, and the A Way Out program.
“Mental illness and
substance use disorders affect people from all walks of life, in all age groups,
in every Lake County community,” said Mark Pfister, Executive Director of the
Health Department. “There is great need to expand behavioral health capacity in
Lake County. These grants will enable us to provide treatment and support to more
Lake County residents.”
Grants for the Benefit of Homeless
Individuals, administered
by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will
provide $2 million over 5 years. Through the grant, the Health
Department and PADS Lake County will
form a team to serve individuals with mental illness and co-occurring substance
use disorders who are in vulnerable housing situations.
Through the
grant, the Health Department’s Community Support Services program will provide
psychiatry, counseling, and case management to program participants. Clients and
their families will be linked to housing and additional support services,
including substance use treatment, crisis care, short-term residential
programs, social security application assistance, and primary care. The program
is expected to serve 225 new clients in 5 years.
SAMHSA’s Mental Health Awareness Training grant
will provide $375,000 over 3 years to expand and improve Lake County’s Mental
Health First Aid (MHFA) training initiatives. The Health Department will
continue its existing Youth Mental Health First Aid program, and through the
grant will train 30 individuals per year to become Adult Mental Health First
Aid trainers. In turn, these individuals will train 2,250 community members to
identify and address mental health issues and refer people to appropriate
treatment.
“Increasing
Mental Health First Aid training is a key strategy to reducing mental health
stigma in Lake County and bolstering community response to those in need,” said
Pfister.
The Expanding Access to Quality Substance Use
Disorder and Mental Health Services grant, administered by the Health Resources & Services
Administration (HRSA), will provide $514,000 over 2 years to expand the Health
Department’s Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) services. MAT involves the use
of FDA-approved medications in combination with counseling and behavioral
therapies to provide a “whole-patient” approach for people with substance use
disorders.
The Health
Department provided MAT services to 238 patients in 2017 and expanded its
program to Midlakes Health Center in Round Lake in July 2018. Plans are in
progress to also expand services at its newly renovated Zion Health Center.
Through the grant, the Health Department will hire two additional Substance
Abuse Counselors and make infrastructure improvements to its primary MAT
location. These changes will enable the program to serve a total of 400 MAT
patients by the end of 2019.
The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-Based
Program grant, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, will provide
$500,000 to expand Lake County’s A Way Out program, with a goal of reaching over
400 new participants by the end of the 2-year grant.
Launched in 2016
by the Lake County Opioid Initiative, A Way Out helps connect individuals who
are addicted to opioids or other drugs with substance abuse treatment. Participants
can walk in to one of 13 participating police departments and request A Way Out
24 hours a day, 7 days a week without fear of prosecution. The Health
Department provides screening and finds appropriate treatment for the person
seeking help.
Through the grant, the
Health Department will hire three full time staff – a dedicated program
coordinator, an additional Crisis Care Program counselor, and a navigator who
will provide support and follow up to participants and their families. Rosalind
Franklin University of Medicine and Science will serve as a research partner evaluating the effectiveness of the A Way Out program. They will also monitor
the long-term individual and community outcomes for the project.
About the Lake
County Health Department: The
Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center is a county health
department, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) and a direct provider of
behavioral health services to residents of Lake County, Illinois. The Health
Department’s mission is promoting the health and well-being of all who live,
work, and play in Lake County. To accomplish this mission, the Health
Department works closely with community partners to address the social,
economic, and environmental causes of health inequity. For more information,
visit health.lakecountyil.gov.
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