Grants focus on behavioral health and re-entry into communities
December 23, 2024 - MOUNT STERLING, KY - Sterling Health Care (SHC), a Federally Qualified Health Center providing primary care and many other health-related services in and around Montgomery County, recently received two grants aimed at providing significant, positive impacts to two segments of local communities.
SHC has been named one of eight clinics throughout northern and eastern Kentucky to receive grant funding through the FY24 Behavioral Health Service Expansion KY grant. The grant award is provided through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and will provide SHC with $600,000 from the grant’s total award of $4.7 million.
“We are very grateful to be awarded this grant and, more importantly, the recognition of our behavioral health services by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to present us with this award,” said Tina Bryant, SHC Chief Executive Officer. “Led by Dr. Leslie Aslam, we know what an exceptional behavioral health program we have here at Sterling Health Care and an award such as this only strengthens the assistance and support we can provide to those who need it in the communities we serve. We are excited for the program’s future and ready to enhance and expand the scope of its reach.”
The grant can be used for a variety of treatment expansions in the programs, including the addition of staff positions to bolster the company’s behavioral health program. Plans already have become reality with SHC’s recent addition of a psychologist, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, and several therapists to the company’s School-Based Health programs and the new SHC-Paris location.
The official announcement of this award was made by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) during the Mental Health America Conference in Washington, D.C., a recent event attended by thousands of advocates, clinical leaders, people with lived experiences, and their families.
SHC has also been named as one of 54 HRSA-funded health centers to receive grant funding for the purpose of increasing access to high-quality primary care for people soon to be released from incarceration and reentering the community. Nearly $52 million was given out overall, with SHC receiving a grant award of $1 million.
As part of its announcement, HRSA pointed out the “funding enables health centers to implement innovative approaches to support justice-involved individuals before their release to address health risks during reentry, including elevated risk of opioid overdose and the increased risk associated with being disconnected from critical treatment for chronic diseases, including medications.”
Further, HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson stated, “Health centers are uniquely positioned to support justice-involved individuals as they navigate the reentry period and to help them overcome potential barriers to returning home and staying healthy. HRSA’s draft policy proposes to make clear that health centers can provide health services to incarcerated individuals who are expected to be or are scheduled for release from a carceral setting within 90 days to help ensure continuity of care as people come home to their community.”
SHC and other health centers receiving the grant awards will focus on the following critical health needs:
Award recipients must also provide case management services and work with community partners to address health-related social needs, such as housing and food insecurity, financial strain, transportation barriers, and intimate partner violence.
Sterling Health Care’s mission is to improve the lives for all people in the communities we serve, through improved health, regardless of their ability to pay.
Sterling Health Care has been an organization exhibiting growth and leadership in Mount Sterling and surrounding communities since 2012. Our providers and staff take pride in being the friends, neighbors and leaders in these communities who strive to make a positive difference.
The care we provide enriches the lives of our patients and improves their well-being.
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