The Institute for Family Health Receives Affordable Care Act Funding to Expand Behavioral Health Services

New York, NY (November 15, 2014) – The Institute for Family Health has been awarded $250,000 in Affordable Care Act funding to expand behavioral health services at two of its community health centers in New York. The Institute is one of 210 health centers nationwide that will receive a total of $51.3 million in new funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The funding will support centers across 47 states to establish or expand behavioral health services for nearly 440,000 people nationwide. “Our organization has made a commitment to the integration of behavioral health care and primary care, and we are delighted to receive this funding to increase our services,” said Dr. Neil Calman, president and CEO of the Institute. “In the communities we serve, there is still a lot of stigma and misinformation about mental health care. Coordination of services helps us reach people who might not otherwise come in for counseling.” The funding will expand access to services at the Institute’s Family Health Center of Harlem and Ellenville Family Health Center, in Ellenville, NY. Both centers will hire additional licensed social workers and psychiatrists to provide after-hours access to behavioral health services for primary care patients during evening and weekend hours. At the same time, the Institute will undertake a capacity-building effort to improve integration of behavioral health and primary care services across our network of sites. “As awareness of mental illnesses increases, we must continue to expand access to care for individuals in need. These funds will permit us to increase our staff and the hours we are open,” said Dr. Virna Little, senior vice president for psychosocial services. The Institute offers behavioral health services at our locations in Manhattan, the Bronx and the Mid-Hudson Valley. For more information, visit our website at www.institute2000.org. ### Founded in 1983, the Institute for Family Health is a federally qualified community health center (FQHC) network that operates 27 health center sites in historically underserved communities in New York City and the Mid-Hudson Valley. The Institute’s health centers and other programs currently serve over 100,000 people annually. For more information about the Institute for Family Health, visit www.institute2000.org.