DBHDD to Celebrate $2.4 Million Grant Award


The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and Savannah Chatham County Area will celebrate receiving a $480,000 grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) with Mayor Otis Johnson and the community.

The grant will be awarded for five years totaling $2.4 million and will fund the Healthy Transitions Initiative that is designed to support youth and young adults with serious mental health challenges. The celebration will be held from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at the Chatham County Department of Family Child Services (DFCS) located at 761 Wheaton Street, Savannah, GA 31401.

“The Savannah/Chatham community has developed a system of care that is ready to go to the next step; the inclusion of young adults and the development of services for this unique population,” said Lorr Elias, Regional Service Administrator, DBHDD Savannah Regional Office. “We are proud that our community was recognized at the national level and are excited about celebrating this award and bringing more community partners to the table.”

The Georgia Healthy Transitions Initiative Youth to Adult (YTA) project will help improve outcomes for youth and young adults ages 16 to 24 with serious mental health conditions and transition them to adulthood in areas such as education, employment, housing and other services designed to enhance their well being.

The YTA program will provide individual service planning and pair young people with “coaches”. The coaches, along with project staff members, will support each young person by identifying his or her transition goals and coordinate community supports and resources to help them meet their needs.

A family liaison will also be there to help support family members in understanding the transition process. Continuation of these funds will be determined by availability of funds and progress achieved by awardees.

For additional information about the SAMHSA grant award visit www.dbhdd.georgia.gov or go to www.samhsa.gov/gran ts/


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