MOBILE, Ala. — The Veterans Recovery Recourses have been rewarded a $4 million grant to support mental health and substance use treatment services.
John F. Kilpatrick, Founder and CEO says, “we are very excited at both the funding and the national recognition that comes with it. This grant allows us to expand our integrated services as a ‘one-stop shop’ for mental health, substance use treatment, primary care and other healthcare services. That way, we can serve even better the vibrant and diverse community of Service Members, Veterans, and their Families, non-veterans, first responders, and families in Southwest Alabama.”
Veterans Recovery Resources will use the two-year Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant to adopt the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model for care delivery.
In addition, VRR provides services to service members and Veterans from North West Florida and have plans to expand their clinical professionals in Florida and Mississippi.
Dr. Jeremy Fletcher, the organization’s Director of Community Integration, says “this grant award is a huge win for the communities we serve. It’s truly a game changer and significantly accelerates our plans to remove barriers to care. Since opening our outpatient clinic in November, 2018, we have been slowly, steadily and methodically building momentum in addressing our region’s woefully inadequate mental healthcare system. This funding accelerates those efforts for our outpatient clinic.”
Kilpatrick adds, “we will use these federal dollars to add desperately needed mental healthcare access & capacity to respond to the overwhelming need for mental health, addiction treatment and recovery support services, particularly in our underserved communities.”
VRR offers that the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model ensures access to crisis care, care coordination with other local healthcare providers, law enforcement and schools as well as comprehensive community recovery support services. However, these funds do not address the critical, urgent and unmet need for medically monitored withdrawal management (detox) and residential treatment programs.
In order to address that urgent needs, VRR is in the initial stages of renovating an 18,000 sf historic building in Midtown Mobile. The planned facility, in addition to VRR’s outpatient and community integration programs, will serve to bring these desperately needed services to South Alabama using a unique Peer-Support infused mental healthcare model.
These outpatient and community integration programs will give easier access to services that are proving effective in helping stop the overdose or suicide crisis.
Article Link: https://weartv.com/news/local/veterans-recovery-recourses-awarded-4-million-grant-to-support-mental-health
