Rep. Schneider Announces Federal Grant for Lake County Health Department

Today, U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (IL-10) announced the award of $900,000 in federal funds for the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center to expand and improve a county-wide, sustainable System of Care approach to providing child and adolescent behavioral health services.

"Nearly 1 in 5 children in the United States have a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder," said Mark Pfister, Executive Director of the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center. "This grant will help us expand behavioral health services in Lake County so we can connect more children and their families to the care they need. We currently serve nearly 1800 children and adolescents each year, and our goal is to add capacity to serve the unmet needs of an additional 250 children with these funds."

The System of Care project will target children and adolescents who have experienced serious emotional disturbances and have signs of, or who are at risk of mental illness, with a focus on five communities in Lake County with low-income populations. The grant funds will also add staff at the local Children's Advocacy Center and Juvenile Justice facilities.

"I applaud the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center for their selection which will further their important work caring for the health of vulnerable young people in our communities. I look forward to seeing what they are able to accomplish with this grant," said Schneider.

The grant was awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).