Mental Health

The needs assessment conducted by the Foundation for Community Health determined a tremendous need for mental health services in the towns it serves. This was confirmed through consultations with local community leaders, health and human service providers, and consumers. The needs assessment also indicated that substance abuse and addiction were critical issues confronting our communities. In its subsequent research, the Foundation found that addressing the co-occurrence of substance abuse was a critical component of any successful approach in addressing mental health needs and vice versa. In the language of providers in these two fields, the term behavioral health encompasses both mental health and substance abuse (also called chemical addiction or dependency).

Providers who responded to our survey noted a greater need for mental health rather than physical health services among both adults and teens. Three of the top five most critically needed services among adults include “outpatient psychiatric care,” “substance abuse services” and “chronically mentally ill services.” Four of the top five most critically needed services for children and adolescents are mental health services: “psychiatric disorder interventions,” “substance abuse services,” “school-based mental health services,” “disruptive behavior interventions,” and “alcohol abuse services.” Relatedly, providers indicated that the greatest “family mental health” need is “parenting skills training.”

Mental Health Initiative

In response, the Foundation has chosen to launch a mental health initiative. As with any area it invests in, the Foundation believes that in order to best move toward sustained positive change, it needs to focus on efforts which promote prevention, increase access and support collaboration. To that end, the Foundation will collaborate with current local providers of community-based mental health and substance abuse services to enhance their ability to provide effective behavior health services in our communities. The Foundation is working with organizations in both Connecticut and New York to support efforts to:

  • strengthen the ability and capacity of providers to deliver quality services;
  • strengthen communication and coordination of services among providers;
  • promote and support interdisciplinary training and “best-practices;”

In identifying additional access issues, the Foundation found that there is a significant lack of knowledge about available services currently available. In response, another component of the initiative is to increase the community’s awareness of these services as well as provide them with general information about mental health and substance abuse and its impact on individuals, families and communities.

Lastly, it was clear from all sources that there is a severe shortage of mental health services focusing on prevention and early intervention. Providers express frustration with having to increasingly focus on crisis or acute care because of the focus of dwindling state and federal funds for behavioral health. If an individual is lucky enough to have health insurance which covers mental health, providers find that their hands are often tied as to how much and what type of care they can offer which limits their ability to be successful in preventing acute episodes. Behavioral health issues often have their roots in childhood and early adolescence so early identification can be very effective in preventing a lifetime of more serious issues. Effective prevention strategies often require reaching out to children and families where they are rather than waiting for them to arrive in an office. It also helps to diminish the effects of stigma and/or shame about accessing mental health services. Working with pediatricians, daycare centers, schools, and recreational programs, as well of churches and other community groups can help a provider to garner trust in addition to developing community support for individuals and families accessing services. The Foundation plans to invest in prevention and early intervention services, particularly those with strategies which utilize ‘best practice’ models, promote collaborative efforts, and are targeted to those most vulnerable.

Mental Health Funding Opportunities

Prevention & Early Intervention Grants

Letters of intent for Mental Health Prevention & Early Intervention due July 3rd, 2008

The Foundation is seeking to promote mental health and substance abuse prevention and early intervention services by soliciting proposals from eligible nonprofits and government organizations to conduct programs with at-risk populations such as youth or the elderly.

Examples of prevention and early intervention services may include (but are not limited to) activities to address:

  • Social Skills development
  • Anger Management
  • Parenting Skill development
  • Substance Abuse prevention
  • Therapeutic Recreation and Therapeutic Day care services
  • Behavioral modification strategies
  • Strengthening interdisciplinary teams which might include schools, primary care providers, families, therapists, etc.

How to Apply

Eligible organizations interested in applying for this funding should submit a letter of intent by July 3, 2008. The range of awards will be between $5,000 and $10,000 to be spent within one year. Letters of intent will be evaluated on:

  • Clarity of problem statement;
  • Relevance of the request to FCH’s priorities and geographic area;
  • Operational soundness of the approach outlined;
  • Feasibility of sustainability after funding;
  • Appropriate balance between budget requested and project being funded.

Organizations can submit more than one Letter of intent but only one project per agency per RFP will be funded. Invitations to submit full proposals will be released on July 25, 2008. Those selected should submit 3 copies of the full proposal by 5:00 on August 22, 2008 to the following address:

Foundation for Community Health
106B Upper Main Street
Sharon, CT 06069

Award notifications are expected to be released after October 6, 2008. The Foundation reserves the right to reduce or expand the total amount of funding awarded and/or to negotiate deliverables, funding amounts and program revisions with potential grantees before awards are made.