By KHI NEWS SERVICE

Aug. 13, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City has awarded $4.25 million in mental health services grants to 34 nonprofit groups in Kansas and Missouri, foundation officials announced Wednesday.

The grants support organizations that provide behavioral health services for children and adults, and work to prevent family violence among the uninsured and underserved.

“HCF is committed to improving access to mental health services through strengthening systems and delivery practices,” said Dr. Bridget McCandless, president and chief executive of the foundation. “We are proud to award these agencies funds to support their efforts in providing behavioral health programs.”

The foundation received 73 proposals totaling about $12.85 million in requests.

Following are details about the awards from the foundation:

Associated Youth Services — $91,509

To facilitate outpatient mental health and psychiatric services for Wyandotte County youth and their families through a collaboration with the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Belton School District — $243,637

To support four mental health therapists who will provide school-based individual and family therapy.

Benilde Hall — $45,648

To provide mental health treatment to mentally ill homeless men.

Child Advocacy Services Center Inc. — $152,700

To help fund a portion of salaries for the clinical staff who deliver clinical remediation services to abused and neglected children in Kansas City.

Child Protection Center Inc. — $155,000

To support the center’s forensic interview and family support programs for victims of child sexual and physical abuse and their families.

Comprehensive Mental Health Services Inc. — $50,000

To support a case manager position to assist individuals in crisis who are unable to access the Emergency Room Enhancement Program.

Crittenton Children’s Center — $81,049

To improve access to evidence-based treatment services for adolescents with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse.

DeLaSalle Education Center — $90,182

To support DeLaSalle’s school-based mental health program that provides therapy, assessment, evaluation, case management and related mental health services for at least 275 students.

First Call Alcohol Drug Prevention and Recovery — $275,000

To help develop trauma-informed and telehealth resources for uninsured individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

Gillis Center Inc. — $140,000

To establish an intake-and-assessment center for children.

Health Partnership of Johnson County — $50,000

To support a behavioral health consultant who will be integrated into primary care teams.

Hope House Inc. — $116,092

To support two adult therapists/addiction counselors, an assessment specialist and other program-related expenses.

Jewish Vocational Service — $100,000

To provide mental health wraparound services for refugee and immigrant communities, families and individuals.

Kansas City CARE Clinic — $200,000

To support the clinic in continuing to offer integrated behavioral health care, including case management, therapy, and psychiatry.

Kansas University Endowment Association — $98,975

To establish the first primary care postdoctoral fellowship for psychologists in the KC area, initiate integrated behavioral health training for family medicine residents, and place psychology interns alongside medical, nursing, and pharmacy students in the Inter-Professional Training Clinic.

KidsTLC Inc. — $200,000

To support start-up costs for the development and implementation of a crisis stabilization and respite unit for children and youth.

Legal Aid of Western Missouri — $130,000

To provide an income for people with mental health issues so they may concentrate on mental health treatment.

Mattie Rhodes Center — $237,697

To support salaries and supplies for the center’s Latino mental health services, which will provide bilingual intake, service coordination, therapy, psychiatry and support.

Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault — $150,000

To provide counseling to nearly 1,000 children and adults.

Midwest Foster Care & Adoption Association — $91,286

To develop family-finding services and divert more children from entering foster care.

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Greater Kansas City — $75,000

To provide access and system navigation assistance to people with mental illness and their families.

Niles Home for Children — $63,706

To provide trauma-specific intervention assessments, psychiatric evaluation and follow-up consultations, and other services for urban youth and their families.

Operation Breakthrough Inc. — $103,895

To support personnel and other expenses for a clinical department of one director and seven clinicians who provide individual and group treatment and preventive services to high-risk children and parents/caregivers.

PACES — $100,000

To hire two licensed mental health therapists in year one and a third therapist in year two to develop an expedited referral process to outreach parents, and to provide needed therapy or referrals to other services to for elementary students in Kansas City, Kan.

ReDiscover — $199,578

To support the demand for mental health care by providing startup salary support for clinical and medical professionals.

reStart, Inc. — $135,000

To provide homeless adults, families and unaccompanied youth with on-site, integrated mental health services and referrals to community providers.

SAFEHOME, Inc. — $184,910

To support no-cost, expert mental health services for victims of domestic violence and their children.

Sheffield Place — $77,534

To serve homeless children and their families by empowering them to heal from trauma and improve mental health, family functioning and parenting.

Spofford — $65,000

To provide salary support for seven residential clinical therapists who will offer therapy to children.

Sunflower House, Inc. — $36,539

To support the salary and benefits of one family advocate position to provide ongoing care and support to families with a child recovering from child abuse.

Synergy Services Inc. — $120,000

To support five licensed therapists who will provide clinical care to children.

Children’s Mercy Hospital — $100,000

To provide salary support and creation of a shared, centralized database to reduce family violence and improve physical and mental health.

Tri-County Mental Health Services, Inc. — $175,000

To maintain and enhance behavioral health services for uninsured children and adults living north of the Missouri River in Kansas City, Mo., while integrating services provided by the health care home.

Truman Medical Center — $115,063

To provide access to therapy that will help individuals with complex PTSD develop emotional, behavioral and interpersonal skills needed to engage in treatment.