PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center has been awarded a Rural Health Care Services Outreach grant. This grant, which totals nearly $600,000 over a period of three years, will greatly expand access to behavioral health services for children and teens in western Lane County.

The project aims to establish two community health and wellness resource centers – one in a Florence school and one in a Mapleton school. Specific locations and operational details will be released at a later date.

“We are grateful to our community collaborators on this project, including our Western Lane Behavioral Health Network partners: Lane County Public Health, Options Counseling & Family Service, Trillium Community Health Plan, Siuslaw School District, Mapleton School District and The Child Center,” said Jason Hawkins, Peace Harbor chief administrative officer. “Having these centers in the schools will reduce barriers to accessing care, such as knowing who to contact, how to schedule appointments and how to arrange transportation to appointments.”

According to Hawkins, students also will be able to get the services they need without leaving school grounds – reducing the social stigma of seeking help.

Children and families will have improved access to early assessment, intervention and behavioral health counseling. Without rapid assessment and early intervention, children’s behavioral issues can escalate into behavioral crises. This can lead to attendance and academic problems for students and mounting stress for families.

The mix of services at each center will reflect the community’s needs. The Mapleton center, for example, may offer a full range of medical and behavioral health care services for both children and adults because few accessible resources exist in that area.

The Rural Health Care Services Outreach grant is a program of the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a group practice with more than 900 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.