WOONSOCKET, R.I., Nov. 8, 2023 — CVS Health Foundation today announced it has awarded $3 million in grants over five years to advance mental health equity to Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County in Florida, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute in Texas and the Rosecrance Foundation in Chicago. Each grant is focused on simplifying the process of accessing mental health care, expanding the mental health workforce, as well as training and advocating the importance of personalizing treatment to align with the patient’s cultural values.
“Our work to bolster these organizations’ efforts to improve the quality and availability of mental health services for adolescents is so important as we continue to see suicide as the second leading cause of death among youth and young adults,” said Sheryl Burke, senior vice president of corporate social responsibility and chief sustainability officer, CVS Health. “By supporting our youth to be peer navigators and arming health care providers with the tools they need to elevate and advocate for screening, prevention and early intervention, we will help improve health outcomes together.”
Recognizing the difficulty of accessing mental health services when demand is high, the CVS Health Foundation is working with:
Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County
The CVS Health Foundation awarded $1 million over five years to support the Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County’s work to expand its peer navigation model to clinical and community settings. This model, which was implemented at a youth-centered clinic in 2019, will be further enhanced by utilizing the Assessment Data Analytics Management (ADAM) tool to integrate screenings and interventions with a service referral platform. By combining resources and increasing its provider capacity to incorporate a more tailored follow-up approach, it aims to better serve the highest-risk patients in the Tampa, Florida, area.
“With the growing mental health needs of young people in our community, we are grateful for the opportunity to expand the collective work of our Adolescent Health Advisory Board and partners to improve access to vital mental health services and support resources,” said Marisa Mowat, executive director of the Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County. “Expanding our peer navigator model will make it possible to reach more young people with risk screening, education, and linkages to care for those most in need.”
Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute
The CVS Health Foundation awarded $1 million over five years to support the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute in Texas work to embed a full-time Care Navigator into four school districts in Bexar County as part of its San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative initiative. They will also work with school leaders to develop a schoolwide support system for students and staff. As part of this addition, they will give students the opportunity to pursue careers in the mental health field. These enhancements will help bridge gaps in and between the systems of support to create a coordinated, ideal system that ensures students and staff get the care they need when and where they need it.
“The San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative has made a profound improvement in the lives of students, families, and staff by bringing free mental health services directly into their school communities,” said Melissa True, M.Ed., director of the mobile mental wellness collaborative at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. “With CVS Health Foundation’s support, the Collaborative will be able to reach more students and build deeper relationships within the communities it serves.”
Rosecrance Foundation
The CVS Health Foundation awarded the Rosecrance Foundation $1 million over five years to support their Coming Together: A System of Care of Adolescents and Young Adults project in the Boone and Winnebago Counties in Illinois. The project is a part of the Youth Mental Health System of Care Coalition and aims to increase the recruiting and training of new partners at non-clinical sites to conduct screenings and utilize their new, web-based Integrated Referral and Intake System. This new system enables closed-loop referral to evidence-based treatment and wrap-around services. Through this project, the coalition will now serve even more children and families with the goal of providing high-quality, personalized mental health care.
“The Rosecrance Foundation is grateful to The CVS Health Foundation for this generous grant award,” said Sally Draper, executive director at The Rosecrance Foundation. “With these funds and by engaging with our coalition partners, we will ensure access to quality, evidence-based care by proactively identifying and screening the needs of high-risk young people so they can be linked to providers, including new, non-traditional therapeutic services.”
About CVS Health
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Courtney Tavener
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