Pawtucket, RI – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI-01) today announced that the Newport County Community Mental Health Center (NCCMHC) is receiving $2,000,000 in federal funds to meet the needs of 24,500 residents over the next two years. All four members of Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation advocated for this federal funding earlier this year in a letter to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
“These funds will allow the Newport County Community Mental Health Center to enhance its tireless work supporting Rhode Islanders in need by providing accessible, affordable mental health services,” said Senator Reed. “We need to do all we can to ensure the accessibility of mental health care services, and this grant will be a welcome step as the Center continues to serve individuals with serious mental illness in Rhode Island.”
“The Newport County Community Mental Health Center is a lifeline for many residents of Aquidneck Island,” said Whitehouse. “This federal funding will enable the Center to expand services and provide tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders the care they need to live healthy, productive lives.”
“Each year, the Newport County Community Mental Health Center does incredible work to provide Rhode Islanders with quality, affordable mental health services,” said Cicilline. “This federal funding will help ensure that even more Rhode Islanders who need care will be able to get it. I’m pleased that we are delivering this funding, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in the Congressional Delegation to deliver results for Rhode Island.”
The federal funds announced today will help NCCMHC, along with its two direct contract organization partners – the Kent Center and Community Care Alliance – to provide expanded and enhanced Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) services. The project will expand evidence-based behavioral health practices to individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances (SED), and young adults with emerging SMI.
The State of Rhode Island has the highest rate of mental illness among adults (24%). In addition, 34% of children in the state who need mental health treatment or counseling do not receive it. The federal funding announced today will help meet the needs of Rhode Islanders by providing access to a complete range of CCBHC services to uninsured or underinsured residents.
NCCMHC and its contract partners will offer and expand access to programs including Assertive Community Treatment, Consolidated Specialty Care, Multidimensional Family Therapy, and Positive Parenting Program. NCCMHC will also make improvements to its infrastructure, train 500 staff in person-centered care, and create a telemedicine program, all aimed at improving targeted health outcomes.
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