UE Mental Health and Wellness Clinic awarded $200k grant
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - The University of Evansville has been awarded a $200,000 grant to support its Mental Health and Wellness Clinic.
According to a release, that grant was provided by the Old National Bank Foundation.
Officials say the majority of those funds will go towards keeping the cost low for patients.
“If you look back over the last couple of years,” said UE President Christopher Pietruszkiewicz. “You read the community mental health assessment, and the top, the number one thing on the list every year is mental health, and so when that happens you have two options. You either, ‘It’s somebody else’s problem,’ or you do something about it, and we decided to do something about it.”
The clinic serves ages five years old and up with the mission to enhance mental health care in the Evansville region and beyond.
“We’re gonna provide somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 patient hours a year for our community, just think about how much difference that’s going to make for people in Evansville and Southwest Indiana,” Pietruszkiewicz said.
And among those making a difference are UE doctoral students. The clinic utilizes those seeking careers as trained psychologists, giving them experience and bolstering the mental health workforce in the area.
“Many of our students have already made that statement to say, we’re getting trained in the Evansville area, we’re committed to being in the Evansville area, so not only are we providing direct services, but being able to look at things in the future,” said Clinic Director Will Phillips.
“We are deeply thankful to the Old National Bank Foundation for their ongoing support,” stated Abigail Werling, Vice President for University Advancement. “Through this partnership, the University of Evansville is well-positioned to address the mental health care shortage in our community, reaching thousands of patients in the coming year. Their assistance will have a meaningful impact.”
You can contact the University of Evansville Mental Health and Wellness Clinic & Emily M. Young Assessment Center by calling (812) 488-5640.
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