NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee officials have picked 10 youth mental health programs statewide to receive a combined $6.5 million to expand their offerings.
The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services says the Middle Tennessee programs receiving funding are Volunteer Behavioral Health, Prevention Coalition for Success, Youth Villages and TN Voices, which is also receiving funding specifically for Nashville and for Shelby County.
The other awardees are Frontier Health in Northeast Tennessee, McNabb Center in East Tennessee, Volunteer Behavioral Health again for Southeast Tennessee and the Cumberland Plateau, and Pathways in West Tennessee.
Gov. Bill Lee and lawmakers included the money in the 2022 fiscal year budget.
Officials say the selected programs aim to increase school-based services and emergency psychiatric services for children and youth. The initiatives also focus on early intervention for children from birth to 8 years of age.