Medica Foundation Provides Grants for Behavioral Health Programs

The Medica Foundation focused on behavioral health programs in its first funding cycle for 2005. Projects throughout Minnesota that relate to behavioral health care service interventions, accessibility and sustainability in the primary care setting received many of the foundation's grants.

New Connections for Community Mental Health received $90,000 to provide Minnesotans with mental health services on demand and in their own communities. The foundation awarded a $55,000 grant to the St. Mary's Duluth Clinic Health System to improve access to behavioral health and clinical outcomes for the medically underserved population in the Ely area. Family HealthCare Center in the Fargo-Moorhead area received $45,000 to incorporate mental health screening as a routine component of primary preventive care and offer mental health treatment options.

"The Medica Foundation recognizes the need for behavioral health services throughout Minnesota," said Rob Longendyke, executive director. "We are pleased to be able to provide this much-needed funding and look forward to working with our partners on making improvements to access and continuity of these services."

Other areas of funding include projects that focus on prevention, health advocacy, patient safety and programs for Minnesota's high-risk and underserved populations. In all, the foundation awarded more than $1 million in this round of funding. For more information, visit the Medica Foundation Web site.

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