Give an Hour Receives $1.6 Million from United Health Foundation to Support Mental Health Care for Military Service Members
August 18 2015 - 4:41PM
Business Wire
Give an Hour was awarded a $1.6 million grant from United Health
Foundation to expand its mental health care system in Tacoma,
Wash., and Houston, Texas.
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United Health Foundation donates $1.6
million to Give an Hour in Tacoma, Wash., for military and veterans
mental health services. Left to right: Washington Dept. of Veterans
Affairs Sec. Lourdes "Alfie" Alvarado-Ramos; Iraq and Afghanistan
Veteran Aaron Boyle; UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans
President Dr. John Mateczun; Vietnam Veteran Jim Martinson;
Washington Dept. of Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler; and Give
an Hour President Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen (Photo: Suzi Pratt).
The grant is part of United Health Foundation’s “Helping Build
Healthier Communities” program that provides critical resources to
nonprofit, community-based organizations across the country to
improve people’s health.
The donation will help Give an Hour raise awareness of agencies
and organizations that provide culturally competent counseling to
service members, veterans and their loved ones; grow its mental
health care provider network; and help military families access the
resources and services they need by creating a comprehensive mental
health resource list and addressing barriers to treatment, such as
money, stigma and transportation, in collaboration with other
organizations.
“We are honored to be able to partner with Give an Hour to help
expand its services and ensure our nation’s heroes have access to
the health care services they need and deserve,” said John
Mateczun, president, UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans, a
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company.
“No single organization can provide all of the care that our
service members and their families need and deserve. And one size
doesn’t fit all when it comes to addressing the invisible wounds of
war such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.
Through this generous grant from United Health Foundation, Give an
Hour will work with our partners in Tacoma to expand services and,
most importantly, coordinate care for our military and veteran
families. Together we will ensure that they are aware of and have
access to appropriate and effective support and mental health care.
We are proud to work with United Health Foundation on this critical
project,” said Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of
Give an Hour.
United Health Foundation awarded the grant during a service day
project at the American Lake Golf Course in Tacoma. Dozens of
volunteers from Give an Hour, UnitedHealthcare and Optum spent the
day working alongside a RallyPoint/6 Community Support Team to
perform maintenance and landscaping on the golf course that was
built specifically for veterans who were wounded or have a
disability. RallyPoint/6 helps to organize community members to
serve as volunteers on projects aimed at benefiting service
members. Today’s project will be the start of transforming American
Lake Golf Course into a true regulation 18-hole course.
“Veterans made national defense a personal responsibility and
want to continue serving their communities,” said RP/6 Director of
Programs Tony Belot. “RP/6 is excited to welcome Give an Hour,
United Health Foundation and UnitedHealthcare to roll-up their
sleeves alongside us on service projects that place veterans front
and center.”
Give an Hour will target the Tacoma region in order to recruit
more licensed mental health professionals to offer free counseling
to the military and veteran population. Mental health professionals
interested in joining the Give an Hour network can complete an easy
online application form at www.giveanhour.org. People in need of
services may also visit this website and use the provider search
tab to locate a mental health professional in their area.
About Give an HourGive an
Hour a nonprofit 501(c)(3) providing free mental health services to
military members, veterans, and their families, was founded in
September 2005 by Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, a psychologist in the
Washington, D.C., area. Give an Hour has been instrumental in the
development of the community-based approach to address the
challenges that face our nation's military community, having
created a successful model for harnessing skill-based volunteers
eager to offer their services. Thus far, the network of nearly
7,000 licensed mental health professionals have provided more than
163,000 hours of care and support to those in need. Give an Hour is
now leading the Campaign to Change Direction, a collective impact
effort developed to change the culture of mental health in America.
Give an Hour and its partners will address common barriers to
understanding mental health and raise awareness about the signs of
emotional suffering. To learn more, visit www.giveanhour.org or
connected.giveanhour.org. To learn more about the Campaign to
Change Direction, visit www.changedirection.org.
About United Health
FoundationThrough collaboration with community partners,
grants and outreach efforts, United Health Foundation works to
improve our health system, build a diverse and dynamic health
workforce and enhance the well-being of local communities. United
Health Foundation was established by UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH)
in 1999 as a not-for-profit, private foundation dedicated to
improving health and health care. To date, United Health Foundation
has committed more than $285 million to programs and communities
around the world. We invite you to learn more at
www.unitedhealthfoundation.org.
RallyPoint/6RallyPoint/6
(RP/6) is a 501©3 nonprofit serving transitioning service members,
veterans and their families with a pathway to targeted resources
and bridges the military-civilian gap through shared service in the
community. Through collective impact and a non-competitive model,
RP/6 and its partners are improving access and the delivery of
services to the entire military family. RP/6 recognizes that in the
coming decade, military end strength will experience a significant
decrease in capacity. The full economic and social impact of our
military scaling down requires streamlined coordination of services
and tracking of outcomes for those who have served us. To date,
RP/6 has served over 2000 service members, veterans, and military
family members by connecting them to support services in the
following areas: employment, education, veteran’s benefits,
housing, family programs, finance, and legal support. For more
information please visit www.rp6.org.
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UnitedHealthcareKristen Hellmer,
602-255-8466Kristen_hellmer@uhc.comorGive an HourLauren Itzkowitz,
240-533-1669litzkowitz@giveanhour.org
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