Cottage Community Partnership Grant Recipients Addressing Behavioral Health

Source: Cottage Health

Cottage Health’s Community Partnership Grants are focused on the Behavioral Health Initiative for the third consecutive year.  In 2020, more than $1 million has been awarded to support 16 programs addressing community needs related to mental health and substance use.

Guided by community input collected during Cottage Health’s Community Health Needs Assessment and Listening Tour, the Behavioral Health Initiative provided grants and support to organizations focused on increasing access to and use of behavioral health services.

Behavioral Health Initiative grant recipients have adapted services and responded to evolving community needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual and telephone-based services are now offered by almost all programs, including New Beginnings Counseling Center.  The Telemental Health Services Collaboration at New Beginnings launched at the beginning of April and has connected 229 low-income clients, first responders, and service providers to more than 589 hours of therapy services. Clients access the program through referrals from clinicians, community organizations and self-referrals.

Another grant recipient, Welcome Every Baby Family Connects (WEB-FC), typically offers in-home nurse/lactation visits for parents of newborns. The WEB-FC program has shifted to offering telehealth (phone and video) visits as well as new online parent discussion groups.  These discussion groups have created a space for more than 75 families to receive lactation support, learn about caring for themselves and supporting a newborn, access information about other community resources, and foster social connections.

School-based programs, including six grant recipients, have developed creative approaches for outreach to students and parents during the pandemic. The YouthWell Coalition focuses on education, prevention, and early intervention, connecting youth and families to mental health and wellness resources. In response to shifting needs, YouthWell developed an 8-week quaranTEEN Workshop series in March with 75+ students attending each week. These workshops were an opportunity for youth, seventh grade through college-age, in Santa Barbara County to feel connected to other students, listen to speakers, and focus on mental wellness. The quaranTEEN workshops will resume in September. A calendar of workshops along with links to mental health resources can be found on YouthWell.org.

As part of the grants program, recipients receive access to technical assistance and support with evaluation. The 2020 Behavioral Health Initiative grant programs are:

• Carpinteria Children’s Project – Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) screening, therapy services, and referrals for 0-2 year olds
• Child Abuse Listening Mediation – ACEs screening, therapy services, and referrals for 0-3 year olds
• Doctors Without Walls-Santa Barbara Street Medicine – behavioral health services and referrals for unsheltered individuals
• Family Service Agency – school-based counseling to high school students 
• Golden Inn and Village – therapy services for low-income senior residents through assessments, support groups, and individual counseling
• Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara – case management and behavioral health services for onsite clients
• New Beginnings Counseling Center – telemental health services for low-income individuals
• Pacific Pride Foundation – counseling and therapy groups for people living with HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ communities
• PathPoint – individualized counseling for residents in Housing Authority properties
• Sanctuary Centers – psychiatric and licensed therapist services at Garden Court and for Integrated Care Clinic patients
• Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation (SB ACT) – school-based counseling for elementary school students
• Santa Barbara County Education Office – Welcome Every Baby Family Connects family visits and referrals to behavioral health services
• Storyteller Children’s Center – therapy services and comprehensive case management for preschool children and families experiencing homelessness
• The Academy for Success – substance use education and referral services on high school campuses
• What is Love – relationship violence crisis support and prevention trainings for students, school-based clinicians, and health teachers
• Youthwell Coalition – parent, provider, and teen workshops and online youth mental health resource connections and database

To learn more about Cottage Population Health and Community Partnership Grants, visit cottagehealth.org/population-health.