Police Officers, Mental Health Professionals Work Together to Help Persons with Mental Illness
St. Louis, June 21 -A Crisis Intervention Team will help persons who experience substance abuse or a mental health crisis for which the police are called to intervene. With a $1,066,590 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH), the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) will offer intensive mental health training for police officers and establish liaisons to ensure continuing care for persons with mental illness.
Officers will now be better equipped to determine if a person, involved in an incident, is in need of mental health services. The goal is to reduce the incarceration rates for these individuals and to reduce injuries that result during police questioning at the scene.
This program is currently running on a volunteer basis in St. Louis County and now will be extended into St. Louis City.
Nineteen other grants were made to various areas of the Foundation region in May. Grant awards for 2005 total more than $25 million.
Established in January of 2000 through the for-profit conversion of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri, MFH is the largest health care foundation in the state and the second largest health conversion foundation in the country. Its vision is to improve the health of the people in the communities it serves. The Foundation is in its fourth year of grantmaking. Current assets are approximately $1.1 billion.
For additional information regarding MFH, call (314) 345-5500, (800) 655-5560 or visit the Web site at www.mffh.org.
GRANT AWARDS
Barceda Families, Bolivar, Mo 65613
Grant Amount: $790,458
Project: This 3-year project will provide individual family support plans to families with children with developmental delays and disabilities. This will include home-based interventions, parental support, individual advocacy, resource coordination and links to professional services such as speech, physical and occupational therapy.
Region Served: Barton, Cedar, Dade and Polk Counties
Contact: Lisa Sturzenegger (417) 777-2648
The Center for Head Injury Services, St. Louis, Mo 63146
Grant Amount: $784,914
Project: This 3-year project will expand the current rehabilitation program and begin providing necessary medical services to uninsured and underinsured patients who have brain injuries.
Region Served: St. Louis County
Contact: Donna Gunning (314) 983-9230
Curators of the University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo 65211
Grant Amount: $65,000
Project: This 2-year project will provide for more uninsured patients to see doctors through the Missouri Telehealth Network; specifically for more nursing home visits, mental health services, children with special needs and other specialty services.
Region Served: Barry, Barton, Cedar, Christian, Dallas, Douglas, Green, Hickory, Howell, Jade, Jasper, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Oregon, Ozark, Polk, Shannon, Stone, Taney, Texas, Webster and Wright County
Contact: Joe Tracy (573) 884-7958
Dexter Community Regional Healthcare Foundation, Dexter, Mo 63841
Grant Amount: $258,500
Project: This 3-year project will expand mentoring services to pregnant teens and parenting group sessions for at-risk parents.
Region Served: Stoddard County
Contact: Diane Mitchell (573) 624-2856
Family Counseling Center of Missouri, Inc., Columbia, Mo 65203
Grant Amount: $14,255
Project: This 3-year project will expand weekend services in the effort to encourage families to get involved in their family member's recovery from alcohol and drug addiction.
Region Served: Boone County
Contact: Allen Tacker (573) 443-2204
Jefferson County Health Department, Hillsboro, Mo 63050
Grant Amount: $898,853
Project: This 3-year project will provide access to dental services for uninsured or underinsured children and developmentally disabled adults.
Region Served: Jefferson County
Contact: Dennis Diehl (636) 789-3372
Judevine Center for Autism, St. Louis, Mo 63132
Grant Amount: $179,903
Project: This 3-year project will provide for an assessment specialist to review current autism materials and send him/her and two other staff to training. This is in an effort to increase services/assessments of children and provide recommendations for treatment.
Region Served: St. Louis County
Contact: Pat Soehike (314) 432-6200
NAMI of St. Louis, Kirkwood, Mo 63122
Grant Amount: $1,066,590
Project: This 3-year project will expand the current Crisis Intervention Team. This is a collaborative team of police officers and mental health care professionals that work together when the police are called to intervene in a situation regarding a person suffering substance abuse or a mental health crisis.
Region Served: St. Louis City and County
Contact: Jacqueline Lukitsch (314) 966-4670
Northside Community Center, St. Louis, Mo 63113
Grant Amount: $436,145
Project: This 3-year project will expand the current medical transportation program, meal delivery service and congregate meal program.
Region Served: City of St. Louis
Contact: Leon Threat (314) 531-4161
Our Little Haven, St. Louis, Mo 63156
Grant Amount: $35,240
Project: This 12-month project will expand current therapeutic treatment for children and families who have been affected by abuse and neglect.
Region Served: St. Louis City and County
Contact: Ann Julien (314) 533-2229
Ozark Center, Joplin, Mo 64803
Grant Amount: $440,404
Project: This 3-year project will provide the center and case management staff with a computer system, greatly improving access to patient information and streamlining internal processes.
Region Served: Jasper and Newton County
Contact: Vicky Mieseler (417) 781-2410
Ozark Center, Joplin, Mo 64803
Grant Amount: $406,739
Project: This 3-year project will design and implement the Parent Child Interactive Therapy for Young Children program.
Region Served: Barton, Jasper, McDonald and Newton County
Contact: Mary Parrigon (417) 781-2410
The Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, St. Louis, Mo 63103
Grant Amount: $695,694
Project: This 3-year project will establish an out-patient drug rehabilitation program.
Region Served: City of St. Louis
Contact: Beverly Best (314) 652-3310
Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence, Cape Girardeau, Mo 63703
Grant Amount: $221,144
Project: This 3-year project will provide for additional staff and medical supplies, expanding current services to children and adults who have been sexually or physically abused.
Region Served: Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Scott, Stoddard and Wayne County
Contact: Tammy Bea Gwaltney (573) 332-1900
Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Mo 65804
Grant Amount: $70,192
Project: This 12-month project will develop a Show-Me Body Walk program that will consist of a traveling exhibit that educates elementary school-age children on the importance of healthy behaviors.
Region Served: Entire MFH Region
Contact: Rhonda Ridinger (417) 836-5346
St. Louis District Dairy Council, St. Louis, Mo 63144
Grant Amount: $35,686
Project: This 12-month project will implement a school breakfast program in order to encourage more students to drink milk and eat nutritious foods.
Region Served: Cape Girardeau County
Contact: Rita Duncan (314) 961-3100
Washington University, St. Louis, Mo 63110
Grant Amount: $508,423
Project: This 24-month project will develop a health management and exercise plan for persons with mobility impairments. Participants will also be educated on the prevention of secondary conditions that can occur as a result of immobility.
Region Served: St. Louis City and County
Contact: David Gray (314) 286-1658
Women In Charge, St. Louis, Mo 63130
Grant Amount: $52,905
Project: This 2-year project will add a part-time staff member to assist in daily duties and free up more time for the counselors to see clients.
Region Served: St. Louis City and County
Contact: Victoria Sharp (314) 727-5515
YWCA of Metropolitan St. Louis, St. Louis, Mo 63108
Grant Amount: $150,000
Project: This 2-year project will provide additional outreach to educate children and adults on sexual abuse issues.
Region Served: Franklin, Jefferson, St. Louis City and County
Contact: Karin McElwain-West (314) 531-1115
# # #