Rosecrance and a network of community partners will continue to develop mental health supports for area youth through a grant awarded by the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation. The grant, which provides $850,000 over four years, will enable agencies to strengthen collaboration and expand behavioral health resources in Winnebago and Boone Counties.
“Youth mental health is much more complex than simply receiving one-on-one counseling, as family systems are complex, and life circumstances for many families are very complicated,” said Rosecrance Director of Youth Mental Health Services Joe Kreul. “We now will be able to bring together providers and people with lived experience in mental health to develop a comprehensive plan for a Youth Mental Health System of Care to address needs that exist and help families overcome obstacles to the treatment they truly need.”
Rosecrance will serve as the lead agency for the grant, and will be joined by other behavioral health providers in the region along with NAMI, the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Rockford Regional Health Council, and others. The funds will provide for a new position to serve in the role of a System Navigator and allow NICNE to serve as facilitator of the diverse planning team.
Together, the planning team will identify gaps in mental health services for children and young adults with an eye on providing new services and addressing system capacity needs. An emphasis will be placed on gathering focused input and participation of people with lived experiences in the region’s mental health services.
These efforts build on work facilitated by NICNE through a one-year grant from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois that provided resources for a community survey and early planning efforts.