West Cecil Health Center receives $375K to expand behavioral health services for Md. youth – Maryland Daily Record

West Cecil Health Center (WCHC), a nonprofit community health center, received $375,000 in grant funding from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) to expand access to behavioral health services among youth in northeastern Maryland.

In particular, the funding aims to address behavioral health disparities among at-risk youth, which includes rural youth, low-income youth, the youth of color, and LGBTQ youth. The three-year grant funds initiatives focus on addressing root causes leading to higher prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders among at-risk youth; reducing barriers to access to behavioral health services for at-risk youth; and workforce development to increase the availability of behavioral health providers; including, but not limited to, physicians, Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), therapists, peer support specialists, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors (LCPC), psychologists, psychiatrists, care coordinators, educators, and other support staff.

Nationwide in 2019, 36.7% of youth experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and nearly one in 10 attempted suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth, 46.8% seriously considered suicide, compared to 14.5% of heterosexual youth, and nearly one in four LGB youth attempted suicide in 2019.