Oneida County To Fund Mental Health Projects

The Oneida County Department of Mental Health is launching an Innovation and Improvement Fund.

County Executive Anthony Picente says the fund will distribute $600,000 in awards to community organizations for innovative and improvement-oriented projects.

The fund will support projects that;

Address needs in the areas of Mental Health, Substance Use and/or Intellectual/Developmental Disability.
Improve the system of behavioral healthcare for patients with Medicaid and/or no insurance.
Foster cross-sector collaboration between the behavioral health care sector and CBOs and non-traditional partnerships such as the corrections/judicial and school systems.
Decrease unnecessary hospital utilization by Medicaid/uninsured patients.
Address local priorities, service gaps, needs and outcomes identified in the Oneida County Department of Mental Health’s Local Services Plan.
Address social and behavioral determinants of health and community health needs.
Increase primary and preventive service utilization by Medicaid/uninsured patients.
Promote collaboration and practices that align with the Oneida County Department of Mental Health’s mission, vision and values.

There is no cap on the amount of funds that eligible organizations can request, or a limit on the number of proposals they can submit.

Picente says there will be a limit of two awards per group and a maximum amount of $200,000 for each proposal.

“As we embark on this final week of Mental Health Awareness Month, I am pleased to announce the availability of this much-needed funding,” said Picente. “The pandemic has caused tremendous strain on the overall mental health of our community. It has impacted our friends, families and loved ones and caused staffing shortages within many of our local clinics, hampering their ability to meet the skyrocketing demand for mental health services. I believe this fund will make a positive impact and provide organizations with an opportunity to be creative, collaborative and to work towards a full recovery.”

A Request For Proposals (RFP) can be found at ocgov.net.

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