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The money is going to 53 organizations as part of the county’s
Stronger Together Initiative, which aims to address behavioral
health inequities. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle
said the grantees are doing significant work in the behavioral
health space.
“Providing financial support to these organizations helps us
increase our touch points throughout the county, particularly
areas with high rates on the Social Vulnerability Index,”
Preckwinkle said.
Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada said the grant program
is connecting and centralizing organizations together.
“I look forward to investing more resources in the years to come
to make sure that this is a guaranteed investment,” Quezada
said.
More than 300 organizations applied for grants up to one-million
dollars. In part, the grant money is intended to address the
effects of violent crime.
Avik Das, executive director of the Cook County Justice Advisory
Council, said the investments advance violence prevention work
and make communities safer.
“I cannot overstate the interconnectedness of violence
prevention and behavioral health, of centering the well-being of
the whole person and helping people in communities recover from
violence and experience more peace in their lives,” Das said.
Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck, chief operating officer for the Cook County
Department of Public Health, said grant recipients have shared
success stories from previous, smaller investments.
“For instance, they’ve shared the story about the mom who
received treatment for herself and her family members after
losing a child to fatal violence,” Hasbrouck said.
The grants awards are part of Stronger Together: Building a More
Equitable Behavioral Health System in Cook County Initiative.
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