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Grantee Spotlight: Mental Health Equity

With the help of our community, we’ve done some incredible work over the last two and a half decades—but there are so many more problems afflicting our region that must be addressed, especially when it comes to mental health. Our nation is experiencing a collective mental health crisis, with more than 50% of adults predicted to be diagnosed with a mental illness in their lifetime.

As part of our new strategic plan launched this year, Interact for Health recently announced over $3.7M in grant funding to address these priority areas:

• Mental Health Equity ($1.3M): Improving culturally competent care and access to mental health services and support among adults and youth within Interact for Health’s priority populations: Black and Hispanic, LGBTQ+, low-income families and rural communities.
• Advancing Health Justice ($2M): Supporting community efforts to advance health justice through community power building, policy and systems change and narrative change.   
• Amplifying Youth Voice ($500K): Supporting youth-serving organizations to increase youth voice in strengthening mental health services.

We heard that loud and clear when we asked partners and community members for their input last year—they identified mental health and well-being as their top issues. That’s why Interact for Health is working with new and existing partners on innovative ways to remove systemic barriers to mental health through policy advocacy, expansion of culturally relevant care and reducing stigma.

“Our priorities reflect the community’s priorities. The growing mental health crisis—especially among youth—calls us to act with urgency, creativity and compassion. And at the same time, we are prioritizing efforts to tackle long-standing challenges in policies, systems and neighborhood conditions that lead to gaps in lifespan of up to 26 years between zip codes,” said Kate Schroder, Interact for Health President and CEO.

Now, we’re excited to highlight the recipients of our Mental Health Equity grants, totaling $1.3 million, aimed at advancing mental health awareness, resources and support throughout Greater Cincinnati.

Fifteen Mental Health Equity partners were selected for their creative, powerful approaches to improving culturally competent care and access to mental health services and support among adults and youth within Interact for Health’s priority populations—Black and Hispanic, LGBTQ+, low-income families and rural communities.

We could not be more grateful to have the following organizations on the front lines as they work to address our region’s urgent mental health care needs, improve mental health outcomes and reduce gaps in care. We hope you’ll join us in congratulating and supporting them!

• Beech Acres Parenting Center ($100K)
  Continuum of Care – From Treatment to Prevention: This program will provide operating support to increase access to and improve culturally competent care for youth and family mental health services.
• Bracken County Health Department ($53K)
  A Comprehensive Tiered Approach: This program from the Bracken County Health Department will implement a comprehensive tiered approach to supporting student mental health.
• Center for Healing the Hurt ($100K)
  Helping to Heal Teens Holistically: This trauma counseling program for teenagers aims to reduce the effects of trauma by providing individual counseling and trauma-informed care for teens, their families and surrounding communities.
• Central Clinic Behavioral Health ($50K)
  Un Puente Necesario (A Needed Bridge): This program aims to provide school-based, bilingual behavioral health and prevention-based wrap-around services that result in lasting recovery and resiliency for children, families and adults.
• Cradle Cincinnati and Queens Village ($100K)
  Neighborhood Wellness Journey for Black Women: This program will provide Black women of childbearing age in Cradle Cincinnati-prioritized neighborhoods with wellness tools and healthy coping strategies to manage and reduce their stress.
• Covington Partners ($115K)
  Mentoring for Mental Health: This grant will increase the number of Black mentors in the Mentoring for Mental Health program, to ensure Black mentees can be placed with mentors who have a better understanding of their life journey.
• Forever Kings Inc. ($100K)
  Kings Made Whole: The goal of this program is to empower healing and wholeness—which doesn't happen without the support of culturally competent clinical professionals. Clinicians will provide mental check-ins and wellness checks, facilitate social-emotional learning opportunities and guide staff on being trauma-informed caregivers.
• From Fatherless to Fearless ($80K)
  B.R.I.D.G.E.™: From Fatherless to Fearless is expanding the B.R.I.D.G.E. program to three more schools. The program expands wrap-around services to ensure fatherless girls have direct access to counseling when there is a waitlist or lack of options.
• GLAD House, Inc. ($50K)
  GLAD House Champs Program: GLAD House, Inc. improves the lives of children and their families by breaking the cycle of addiction. This program will expand community training focused on trauma-informed care following SAMHSA's model of trauma-informed approaches.
• Lighthouse Youth Services, Inc. ($75K)
  School-Based Mental Health Services: Grant funding will provide general operating support for this program, which empowers young people and families to succeed through a continuum of care that promotes healing and growth.
• Love N Action CDC ($75K)
  Black Healthy Minds Mt. Healthy: This new program aims to increase access to treatment that supports the social-emotional development of youth in Black communities.
• Mental Health America of Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio ($58K)
  Increasing Accessible and Competent Healthcare for LGBTQ+ Greater Cincinnatians: This program from Mental Health America of Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio aims to increase accessible and culturally competent mental healthcare for LGBTQ+ Greater Cincinnatians.
• Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission ($58K)
  Improving the Mental Health and Well-Being for Rural Populations: This program from Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission aims to normalize and encourage accessing mental health services within rural populations.
• Our Tribe ($121K)
  Out of the Shadows: Addressing Mental Health in the Black Autism Community: This program from Our Tribe will provide support and resources for members of the Black Autism Community in Cincinnati and create a space for them to share and commune with other folks who understand their challenges.
• Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses ($125K)
  The Trauma Recovery Center of Cincinnati: The goal of the TRCC is to remove barriers for trauma victims going through the three stages of recovery: stabilization and safety; counseling and support; and creation and restoration of survivor connections with their communities.

For more information and updates on grantee work, please subscribe to our Health Watch Newsletter and follow Interact for Health on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter). 

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