Mental Health Experts Address Challenges Of Care In Rural Illinois wsiu.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wsiu.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Poshard Foundation for Abused Children distributed grants to dozens of social service agencies Tuesday.
The Poshard Foundation awarded grants to 30 agencies in the region totaling more than $100,000.
Founder Glenn Poshard says the foundation’s happy they are able to support these agencies after the uncertainty of the past year.
“The pandemic has put stress on everyone, but the one thing that we know from communicating with the social service agencies throughout the area is the effort has been tremendous by you folks that are working with these children.”
The foundation distributes the funds in April to bring attention to Child Abuse Prevention Month.
A new program will help connect vulnerable children to mental health care.
The Southern Illinois Resiliency Project is receiving a $2.1 million grant from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. The money will fund trauma therapists and youth advocate positions with local police departments, who will be able to identify vulnerable children and connect them with services.
Matt Buckman, executive director of the Stress and Trauma Treatment Center in El Dorado, said children that experience trauma are more like to have mental and physical health challenges as adults.
Identifying and working with children early can help them develop resiliency and may prevent problems in later life, ranging from mental illness to physical diseases like diabetes, to addiction.