Kirksville Preferred Family Healthcare Received Communities of Hope Awards
February 11th, 2010The Missouri Department of Mental Health announced Communities of Hope awards to eight local agencies to address mental health concerns in the state. I am happy to report that Preferred Family Healthcare in Kirksville is one of the local agencies receiving this award.
The Communities of Hope Initiative is a cornerstone of the state’s efforts to transform its mental health system to make it more responsive to actual need by using a public health model. The awards are funded through the Federal Mental Health Transformation Grant initiative.
Preferred Family Healthcare is a comprehensive behavioral health non-profit organization established in 1979 (I happened to be on the founding board). I appreciate their continuous contribution of helping family members in the community. Of the approximately 5.8 million people who live in Missouri, it is estimated that 10.5% have a serious mental illness, 11% are alcohol-dependent, 3% are drug-dependent and 1.5% experience mental retardation or another significant developmental disability (NARI, 2000). Many of the costs associated with treating these conditions can be avoided through prevention, early intervention, more effective treatment, and supportive services.
Preferred Family Healthcare will use the award to assist community coalitions in determining their local priority by focusing efforts to reduce the burden of disease associated with mental health conditions.
