OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY –
RiverValley Behavioral Health, a nonprofit organization specializing in the provision of behavioral health services, was awarded a $1.2 million dollar grant from the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities. The grant funding, which will be allocated over a period of four years, will support the enhancement of services for transition-aged youth.
“The transition to adulthood can be very difficult,” said Dr. Wanda Figueroa Peralta, President & CEO of RiverValley Behavioral Health. “This grant will be used to develop a Youth Drop-In Center in Henderson County for youth 16-25 years old, which will provide immediate access to support, necessary amenities, social connections, and opportunities for leadership. We want to bridge the gap between existing services for transition-aged youth and empower them to reach their potential as healthy, happy adults.”
RiverValley will implement the TAYLRD (Transition Age Youth Launching Realized Dreams) model, an initiative supported through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) aimed at improving access to culturally and developmentally appropriate supports and services for youth and young adults.
Dr. Lionel Phelps, RiverValley’s Vice President of Continuous Quality Improvement said, “We want to give young adults a voice in the programs that serve them. Our plan is to engage youth and young adults by providing a safe, comfortable environment. We’re also going to offer employment and education assistance, therapy and prescriber services, peer support and case management, recreational activities, computer and internet access, and housing assistance at no cost to the young person or their family.”
RiverValley Behavioral Health was also awarded $246,800 to develop a National Association of Recovery Residences (NARR) Level III Recovery Home for women in Henderson County. The funding is a part of a $4.9 million grant package announced by Gov. Andy Beshear to help address Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome by offering comprehensive treatment and recovery services to pregnant and parenting women.
The population of focus for the recovery home will be adult females who have recently completed residential Substance Use Disorder treatment and do not have suitable, stable and safe housing to go to upon discharge. During the first year, 16 women and women with children will be served with this funding opportunity.
RiverValley Behavioral Health staff has met with several Henderson community leaders, including Mayor Steve Austin, to discuss the implementation of the new Youth Drop-In Center and Women’s Recovery Home. Dr. Figueroa Peralta said that this collaboration is essential to program success.
“Behavioral Health is a critical circumstance for any community and our community is certainly not immune. These new programs and services provided by RiverValley Behavioral Health Health will be an important offering for local citizens and a major step to help families. If you feel you have a problem or potential problem in your household, I recommend you explore their available services,” said Mayor Austin.
RiverValley Behavioral Health is the Commonwealth’s designated regional Community Mental Health Center that offers a full range of behavioral health services, substance use treatment, and intellectual and disabilities services to adults, children, adolescents, and their families. Our services are individualized, trauma-informed, evidence-based, and specifically developed to meet the unique, growing behavioral health needs of the communities we serve. We provide services in Daviess, Henderson, Ohio, Union, McLean, Hancock, and Webster counties.
For more information, please contact Jessica Pierce, Executive Assistant to the CEO and Director of Communications at 270-689-6540 or Pierce-Jessica@rvbh.com.
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