Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas has donated $5.9 million to support youth mental and behavioral health in the state, Little Rock Public Radio reported Oct. 6.
The donation will go towards five organizations focusing on child and adolescent mental health, suicide and substance abuse issues.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences received two grants, with a $1,610,477, four-year grant going toward UAMS’ Pathways to Wellness Program and another $714,809, two-year grant being designated for the Adolescent and Young Adult Addiction Treatment Program.
A $850,927, three-year grant will go toward the Wolfe Street Foundation, which offers substance abuse treatment efforts for youth in Pulaski County. Meanwhile, the Arkansas chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention received a $900,000 grant to be distributed over three years.
Immerse Arkansas, a transitional program, was also awarded a $1,418,252, three-year grant to provide mental health resources for young people in Pulaski, Saline, Faulkner and Lonoke Counties who are in foster care or are aging out of the system.