BERLIN – A $225,000 grant is expected to help Worcester Youth & Family Counseling improve access to behavioral health services.
This week, the Berlin-based nonprofit announced it was one of 19 organizations to be awarded grant funding from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to recruit and retain behavioral health providers. As the demand for mental health services grows, Executive Director Jennifer Leggour said funding will allow the agency to meet the needs of its clients.
“There are simply not enough providers in the area …,” she said. “This is a $225,000 grant over three years, and by the end of that three-year period we’re hoping to have 10 providers.”
Leggour said Worcester Youth & Family has seen its waitlist grow to record levels since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said grant funding will allow the agency to recruit providers from across the country, something the nonprofit has not been able to do until now. Funds will also be used to launch a therapy intern program and take care of its employees.
“We will also have the ability to offer incentives to those who work here, including a wellness room, paid CEUs [continuing education units], and self-care planning,” she said. “With that, we hope to increase access to mental health care in our community with providers who are healthy and well.”
The award, officials say, is part of a larger $7.9 million grant from CareFirst to improve behavioral health outcomes for youth across the region.
To identify needs and challenges impacting behavioral health in the region, CareFirst conducted interviews with community-based organizations, which informed its priority areas for funding. Special considerations were also given to organizations serving Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), disconnected youth, persons experiencing homelessness, populations with limited English proficiency (LEP), structurally disinvested communities, justice-involved individuals, LGBTQ populations, low-income communities, rural communities and more.
“CareFirst recognizes that behavioral health is an essential part of overall health, which includes a continuum of conditions ranging from severe mental health disorders to the emotional, psychological, and social factors that affect a person’s overall wellbeing,” said Dr. Destiny-Simone Ramjohn, vice president of community health and social impact for CareFirst. “We are proud to invest in 19 dynamic organizations who will minimize behavioral health disparities among young people and dramatically increase the number of trained health professionals that provide culturally responsive and trauma-informed behavioral health care.”
