Chestnut Ridge awards annual Grassroots Grants

More than $4,900 given to area agencies

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Chestnut Ridge Center, the behavioral medicine treatment center of WVU Healthcare, awarded eight area agencies with its annual Grassroots Grants at a luncheon today in the John Jones Conference Center in the WVU Health Sciences Center.

The grants range from $400 to $1,000 and are designed to act as a catalyst for agencies to try new programs in order to enhance their services in the areas of mental health, substance abuse prevention and family preservation. Funding received from the Grassroots Grant Program may be used for events, materials, educational campaigns, treatment programs, conferences or related expenses.

This year’s recipients and their projects are:

Mental Health America – to provide art supplies for “Different Voices and Common Experiences,” which increases the self esteem of people with mental health disabilities

Milan Puskar Health Right – to host a third Caregiver’s Care Day, which provides a support network for low-income family caregivers

Monongalia County Starting Points – to provide “Conscious Discipline” training for parents

MUSHROOM (Multidisciplinary UnSheltered Homeless Relief Outreach Of Morgantown) – to provide telecommunications for referrals while a team goes on street rounds

Northern West Virginia Center for Independent Living – to purchase group supplies for the Peer Support Program

One Unique Recovery House Inc. – to provide transitional housing and recovery for addicted women

Preston County Caring Council/Family Resource Network – to provide scholarships for a “Women on Wellness” health retreat

Upshur Cooperative Parish for the Hall Neighbors’ House – to provide family support for parents attending peer support groups by affording childcare for parents once a week

Chestnut Ridge Center is a leading regional referral center for treatment of psychiatric illnesses and addictions for children, adolescents and adults. The 70-bed facility is staffed by psychiatrists, psychologists and other professionals. It offers a continuum of care through inpatient, partial hospitalization, outpatient and residential treatment services. The Center is part of WVU Healthcare and is affiliated with the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry at the WVU School of Medicine. It is located on the WVU Health Sciences campus in Morgantown.