MERCER Agency receives grants

One grant will fund a pilot program aimed at helping people with both mental health and substance abuse disorders.
MERCER, Pa. -- The Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission Inc. has been awarded more than $1 million in state and federal grants to provide specialized mental health services in the county.
The agency announced the fund approvals today.
The money comes from the state's Community Hospital Integration Projects Program and the Mentally Ill Substance Abuser Project.
The former is a state Department of Public Welfare program designed to develop and expand local services to assist clients returning to the county from state hospitals.
Mercer County is getting $549,184 from that program, and the Behavioral Health Commission will use the money to pay for services for 12 people to return to Mercer County from Warren State Hospital. There are 62 Mercer County residents now hospitalized at that facility.
Services: The money will pay for prevention and support services as well as bolster existing services for other clients in the county's mental health system. That could include such things as housing, psychosocial and vocational rehabilitation, enhanced treatment planning and peer support.
The county will receive $491,124 from the Mentally Ill Substance Abuser Project, which is a pilot program for individuals with both mental health and substance abuse disorders.
Mercer County is one of only four pilot programs funded by DPW and the Pennsylvania Department of Health this year.
The Behavioral Health Commission's plan proposes a team approach to treatment planning and services, and the money will provide services similar to those in the Community Hospital Integration Projects program.