Mental Health & Substance Abuse (MHNSA) Program

Mental health and substance abuse disorders are serious public health issues affecting all ages, often resulting in devastating effects for families and communities. The facts are sobering:

• 80,000 Missourians have a co-occurring disorder of serious mental illness and substance abuse.
• 14 percent of students surveyed have seriously considered attempting suicide last year, while 10-percent actually made a plan to commit suicide.
• 27 percent of all surveyed youth reported using alcohol in the past 30 days—higher than the national average.
• Only 16 percent of Missouri youth diagnosed with a serious emotional disturbance receive needed treatment.

MFH’s Mental Health & Substance Abuse program provides funding to organizations working on alleviating the emotional and physical problems associated with mental health and substance abuse disorders in their communities. During 2006-07, MFH invested nearly $7 million in 23 organizations to change their organizational structures and enhance staff capability by using evidenced-based models to integrate their mental health and substance abuse treatment services. For 2008, funds will be available to organizations providing prevention and/or treatment services to children and youth who have mental health and/or substance abuse disorders. The priority areas are suicide prevention; substance abuse prevention and/or treatment; and integrated treatment for youth with co-occurring disorders.

In addition to supporting current grantees, training, technical assistance, and evaluation, MFH will invest $7.8 million in children and youth programs, consumer assessment/program planning activities, and innovative approaches to solving mental health and/or substance abuse where other programs have failed.

Note: These funding opportunities are closed for 2008.

For more information on the Mental Health and Substance Abuse program, please contact Michael Renner, Program Officer, at 314.345.5533 (toll-free: 800.655.5560) or mrenner@mffh.org.

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