INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 21, 2020) – Adult & Child Health (A&C) was awarded a $145,570 grant from the Kendrick Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that supports education and initiatives that improve the health of Morgan County residents.
A&C was one of only eight nonprofit agencies awarded this year’s Kendrick Foundation Grant, which identified grantees based on their ability to shift their service and care models to meet the emerging needs of Morgan County residents in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our grantees have really stepped up to meet the needs of our community,” said Keylee Wright, Executive Director of the Kendrick Foundation. “Their efforts are inspiring, and we want to continue to support their work to improve the physical and mental health of Morgan County residents, especially during this unprecedented public health crisis.”
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A&C has partnered with Mooresville Schools since 2013 to enhance on-site programming that supports a healthy environment for students and teachers. Since the onset of COVID-19, A&C has effectively transitioned from a 100% face-to-face model of care to a model in which 95% of services are provided via telephone or telehealth. Since March 13, when most Indiana schools transitioned to e-Learning, the A&C school-based team has provided over 2,000 hours of direct or indirect care to Morgan County students and their families.
The grant award will support the expansion of services available to Mooresville staff and students, which includes evidence-based behavioral health training and curriculum titled Second Steps. In addition to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), A&C will continue to provide training for Mooresville Schools students and staff to help them learn new strategies to help students achieve better health outcomes. Specifically, this award will fund a newly created Emotional Learning Coordinator position to provide professional development for staff and administration. This effort will strengthen our partnership with the district and enhance our school-based program. The award will also assist A&C to expand telehealth services to Mooresville Schools that will help eliminate the barriers students are experiencing because of COVID-19.
“We are beyond excited to expand our services to both A&C clients and caregivers along with offering additional supportive services to students in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Liz Stirn, A&C Assistant Director of School-Based Services.
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Thousands of schools around the world, and more than 15 million children, benefit from Second Steps SEL each year. The program aims to increase students’ knowledge about social-emotional skills, improve prosocial behavior, decrease observed relational and physical aggression, increase academic achievement, and decrease bullying, substance abuse and misuse.
A&C’s School-Based programs, which have helped 2,287 students excel in 120 central Indiana schools during the last fiscal year, places specialists in schools who are trained to help students experiencing behavioral health issues, delayed development or other life stressors that interfere with their ability to learn.
Adult & Child Health www.adultandchild.org strives for caring communities, where every child, adult and family have the opportunities they need to live healthy, happy, productive lives. For more information about Adult & Child Health services, please contact Adam Wire, marketing and communications specialist, at 317-882-5122 or awire@adultandchild.org.
