Money from two settlements in 2008 with national pharmacy benefits management companies will help pay for enhanced mental-health services in the state, Attorney General Bob McDonnell announced yesterday.
McDonnell is presenting the money as a $1 million challenge grant to the Virginia Health Care Foundation. The foundation will raise a $1 million match and then distribute the full amount to Virginia's health safety-net providers through a competitive grant process.
The foundation anticipates having up to 10 three-year grants to cover primary health care to the seriously mentally ill or expansion of basic mental-health services, such as helping uninsured patients who suffer from depression and anxiety.
McDonnell said the need is tremendous at the community level for primary care for mental illness, and that the money will augment community mental-health resources.
The timing of the funding is ideal, said Debbie Oswalt, executive director of the foundation.
"This is an important initiative at any time," Oswalt said. "But at a time like this, with so much economic uncertainty and the stress that that creates -- if you think about it, when somebody loses their home or their job . . . depression and anxiety are frequently companions that come right along with that -- so there's just a tremendous need for this right now."
Contact Olympia Meola at (804) 649-6812 or omeola@timesdispatch.com.
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