Research to Examine Why School Based Health Centers Haven Been More Successful Engaging Adolescent African-American and Latino Males in Mental Health Services Than Other Community-Based and Private Provider Settings?
NEW BRITAIN, CONN. Mar. 9, 2011 – The CT Health Board of Directors recently awarded the Connecticut Association of School Based Health Centers (CASBHC) an 18 month $49,000 grant under its “Integrating Health Research into Advocacy Initiative.” CASBH, working in partnership with UCONN’s Center for Nursing Scholarship, will explore the characteristics of this health care setting that create a safe and supportive atmosphere for adolescents participation. CASBH also will investigate the health outcomes and effectiveness of the behavioral health interventions. These results will be used to support advocacy for increased financial support for school based health centers, and develop programming and services for adolescent males of color.
“Recognizing the need to support nonprofits’ ability to conduct health policy research and advocacy, CT Health developed this initiative. Results of the research will inform the grantees’ policy agenda or advocacy strategy, as well as advocates and decision-makers working related issues and CT Health’s policy agenda and program objectives,” says Patricia Baker, president & CEO of the foundation.
CASBH, along with three additional organizations received an 18-month grant under the “Integrating Health Research into Advocacy Initiative.” Each grantee below was awarded $50,000.
- Center for Children’s Advocacy (CCA) (Hartford) who proposes to study early indicators of mental health problems in the school setting—focusing on CCA clients age 12-14 involved in the juvenile justice system. Findings will be used to advocate for improving systems that support the use of best models in early school-based identification and referral.
- Connecticut Association of Directors of Health (Hartford) will use the Health Equity Index (a tool to measure social, economic and environmental conditions associated with health disparities at the local level) as a guide to examine policies linked to disparate health outcomes and the viability of righting policy. Directed policy strategies resulting from policy analysis and recommendations will be given to communities and policy-makers to advocate to improve health equity.
- Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut (Hartford) proposes to study issues related to protecting and improving health insurance coverage and health care access for low income families and individuals as health care reform law is implemented. Specific research will focus on the impact of federal legislation on Basic Health plans on Medicaid.
GRANTS AWARDED FOR INITIATIVES
Oral Health Promotion Among Pregnant Women and those Contemplating Pregnancy Initiative Grant Awards Totaling $385,000
Four 18-month $65,000 grants were awarded to help organizations establish family oral health promotion and links to “dental homes” into health care, human service and education systems to increase the number of low-income pregnant women and children ages 0-5 receiving dental prevention and treatment. These grantee teams of dental, education, and health and human service providers will work in conjunction with researchers at UConn’s Health Center, awarded a $125,000 research grant, to examine factors that affect the uptake of oral health care among low-income pregnant women and women contemplating pregnancy.
- Community Health Center (Middletown)
- Southwest Community Health Center (Bridgeport)
- United Community & Family Services (Norwich)
- Family Strides (Torrington)
Children’s Mental Health Year Two Continuation Grants Totaling $739,241
The organizations below were awarded funding for year two of a five-year grant to continue implementing a community-based prevention system to identify, assess and provide interventions for children at risk of entering the juvenile justice system or requiring the most intensive level of mental heath services.
- Family Services of Greater Waterbury (Waterbury) – $185,000
- Manchester Youth Service Bureau (Manchester) – $137,000
- Lower Naugatuck Valley Parent Child Resource Center (Derby) – $200,000
- Middlesex Hospital – iCare (Middletown) – $217,241
OTHER GRANTS AWARDED
- Connecticut Voices for Children (Statewide) was awarded a one year $154,545 general operating grant to continue its research, policy advocacy, and communications to promote strategic public investments for health and well being of children.
- Society for New Communications (Statewide) received funding of $200,000 to build on online platforms (www.HealthJusticeCT.org ) and social media tools developed in year one to establish an online virtual community strategy to create public will to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities in Connecticut.
- Yale University (New Haven) received a $23,000 grant to support the design and development of a bilingual website that will capture “patient-reported experiences of discrimination in health care through a measurement tool (PreDict).
DISCRETIONARY GRANTS AWARDED
- Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Statewide) was awarded $25,000 to support financial feasibility modeling.
About the Connecticut Health Foundation
The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) is the state’s largest independent health philanthropy dedicated to improving lives by changing health systems. Since it was established in July 1999, the foundation has supported innovative grant-making, public health policy research, technical assistance and convening to achieve its mission – to improve the health of the people of Connecticut.
Over the past 11 years, CT Health has awarded 556 grants totaling over $43.7 million in 45 cities and towns throughout the state in three priority areas:
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Improving access to children’s mental health services
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Reducing racial and ethnic health disparities
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Expanding access to and use of children’s oral health services
For more information about the foundation, please visit www.cthealth.org or contact Communications Officer Maryland Grier at Maryland@cthealth.org or 860.724.1580, ext. 21.