Health Commissioner Mary E. O'Dowd yesterday announced the first phase of a $4 million initiative that provides grants to hospitals and community health centers to provide behavioral health screenings to individuals struggling with stresses associated with Superstorm Sandy.
The funds will be used to screen 48,000 individuals for behavioral health issues and symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse, domestic violence and child abuse and refer them for evaluation, treatment and other services
In Phase 1, nearly $2.2 million in federal Social Services Block Grant funds have been awarded to three hospital systems and seven community health centers in the nine counties most affected by Superstorm Sandy. Those grants were awarded to:
- AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center
- CarePoint Health
- Meridian Hospitals Corp.
- Visiting Nurses Association of Central New Jersey Community Health Center
- Ocean Health Initiative Inc.
- Jewish Renaissance Medical Center in Middlesex and Essex counties
- Southern Jersey Family Medical Center
- Newark Community Health Center
- North Hudson Community Action Center
Later this spring, a request for proposals will be issued for the remaining $1.84 million to healthcare providers, including hospital emergency departments.
