Advanced Search | Help

Newsroom

Events and Conferences
May 2009
SMTWTFS
12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31


Statistics
SAMHSA News Room
Contact Media Services: (240) 276-2130

SAMHSA News Bulletin

Date: 10/16/2008
Media Contact: SAMHSA Press Office
Telephone: 240-276-2130

SAMHSA Awards $12 Million to Community Treatment and Service Centers Helping Children Suffering from Traumatic Stress

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced that $12 million in total funding over the next four years will be provided through the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI) to help communities meet the special needs of children at risk or suffering from traumatic stress.

Because there are ongoing needs in the Gulf Coast states as a result of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as other storms, this program provides funding for grantees in these states as well as other states to meet the needs of children suffering from traumatic events.

The grants enable community treatment and service organizations to provide expanded prevention, screening and treatment services for children who may be more susceptible to mental health problems because they have been exposed to natural disasters, abuse, neglect or other traumatic events.

"Children can be remarkably resilient if their mental health problems are identified early and treated comprehensively," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H. "The community treatment and service centers involved in this grant program will be able to enhance specialized services for helping children and their families recover from traumatic experiences."

Eight community programs from around the country have been selected to receive funding over the next four years. The actual award amounts may vary, depending on the availability of funds and the progress achieved by the awardees. The funds are awarded and administered by SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services.

The grant awardees and their yearly grant amounts are:

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans -- $399,079. This program will use the grant to provide special services for children aged 3 years to 8 years who live in some of the areas most severely affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Mercy Family Center, Metairie, La. -- $300,898. Grant monies will be used to develop Project Fleur-de-lis, a school-based mental health service system designed to meet the intermediate and long-term needs of children exposed to natural and manmade disasters.

Gulf Coast Mental Health Center, Gulfport, Miss. -- $399,300. This program will apply its grant funds to developing evidence-based practices for treating trauma cases in the Gulf Coast area. One of its central objectives is developing a coordinated system utilizing all existing community health care and service providing programs for addressing the immediate and long-term needs of people exposed to trauma in the wake of a natural disaster.

DePelchin Children’s Center, Houston. -- $400,000. Grant monies will be used to provide expanded services to children and families at greatest risk of suffering from the devastating effects of sustained trauma. These include children and families affected by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina and other storms as well as military families dealing with the loss or prolonged absence of a loved one. Children and families in the Gulf Coast region have once again been affected by the recent Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, and this program will serve as a critical asset to the region.

Gateway Community Services, Jacksonville, Fla. -- $400,000. Grant monies for this program will be targeted toward four projects: helping the young children of those undergoing residential substance treatment; providing services to adolescent males in the custody of the juvenile justice system; helping adolescents who are in residential treatment programs for substance abuse; and supporting adolescents undergoing substance abuse treatment in community settings.

Chaddock Trauma Initiative of West Central Illinois, Quincy -- $400,000. The grant money will be used to provide special trauma treatment services to children and adolescents in school and community settings. Efforts will be focused in the rural community of Quincy, Ill., as well as surrounding areas.

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo -- $300,723. The university’s Trauma Informed Child Welfare Systems program will provide comprehensive training to child welfare service providers and other caregivers in Michigan’s county government systems and to two Native American tribal courts.

Bethany Christian Services, Grand Rapids, Mich. -- $400,000. The grant money will help build on the Project Return Home program, which helps children age 3 years to 18 years, who have been removed from their families because of abuse or neglect, successfully reunite with their rehabilitated families.

For additional information about this grant and other SAMHSA programs, please visit http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/sm_08_010.aspx and  http://www.samhsa.gov/. 

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation's substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health services delivery system.


Page Last Updated: 10/16/2008