Mental Health Collaborative Fund
In the wake of the life-changing events of October 24th at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School coupled with our ongoing emergence from the recent pandemic, broad-range behavioral health needs have heightened to new levels.
United Way of Greater St. Louis has launched the Mental Health Collaborative Fund to assist in supporting broadened investments, initiatives, impacts and outcomes in mental health in support of efforts led by clinical providers and partners addressing related traumas, including widespread violence, domestic abuse and more.
By quickly learning from and benchmarking with other communities impacted by school-based shootings, uniquely related traumas, and long-term stressors, this fund will support expanded resources in three ways:
Access to Behavioral Health Supports:
- Provide expanded access for access to behavioral health treatments
- Provide direct gap payments to providers for services rendered for therapy and varied modalities of treatment
- Provide access dollars for transportation to and from appointments
- Provide supports that speaks to emerging mental health needs over the long term
- Work with providers, clinicians, CBOs, and more to create a comprehensive behavioral health resource hub and strengthen the existing infrastructure from the ground up
Community Engagement Mini-Grants:
- Leverage the expertise of behavioral health partners and the community to inform needs and gaps
- Provide funding in the form of mini-grants to support community engagement events at the ground level across neighborhoods and zip codes
Expansion of Mental Health First Aid Training and Community-Wide Best Practices:
- Provide funding to ensure that school districts, community-based organizations and more can implement mental health first aid training for all staff and seek a policy mandate as a part of on-boarding practices for all new hires
- Provide community-wide training opportunities for mental health first-aid and launch a campaign to speak up and out when our loved ones and friends are in need before tragedy strikes, encouraging everyone that when you see something, say something, and do something to help
United Way of Greater St. Louis will launch this fund with a total of $150,000. We invite other contributions by clicking the link below:
Offline donations:
- Write a check payable to “United Way of Greater St. Louis”
- On the memo line of the check, indicate that the donation is for “Mental Health Collaborative Fund ”
- Mail your check to:
United Way Greater St. Louis
PO Box 954281
St. Louis, MO 63195-4281
Attn: Mental Health Collaborative Fund