Grants: More than $120,000 for mental health and substance abuse programs

Reid Health Community Benefit is awarding more than $120,000 in grants for programs designed to meet the needs of mental health and/or substance abuse.

The grants represent the first awards of two grant cycles for the year. Grants, along with other specific outreach and requirements to meet the system's not-for-profit status, have put almost $176 million back into the community in the last five years. A committee of Reid Health's governing board reviews grant requests. The grants are awarded as part of the health system's efforts as a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization.

The grants include:

• $2,500 to A Better life - Brianna's Hope to cover supplies for recovery groups and initiatives.
• $11,700 to Birth to Five to help support the Healthy Families program.
• $18,400 to Boys and Girls Club for "Prevention Plus" programming.
• $12,000 to Cross Road Christian Recovery Center foritsTransitional Living program.
• $8,580 to Genesis of Richmond to cover a portion of the personnel cost for a part-time residential manager.
• $5,600 to Independent Living Center for staff and material costs for reusable residential wheelchair ramps.
• $9,876 to JACY House for its "Speak Up Be Safe" program.
• $900 to Monroe Central School Corp. for "Your Life Speaks" presentation for students and staff.
• $6,700 to Northeastern Elementary School to cover training for "Leader in Me" program for all teachers.
• $1,925 to Northeastern Middle School for a set of substance abuse simulation goggles for use in health education.
• $5,600 to SAWS (Servants at Work) for material costs of wooden wheelchair ramps to serve multiple counties in Reid's service area.
• $3,000 to Senior Opportunity Services to support its homemaker/handyman programs.
• $2,000 to Two Twenty Eight Club Inc. to help support its monthly sober events and materials for two new classes.
• $9,368 to Unchained Praises to help support its new Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)
• $5,000 to Union County Health Department to help support its Opioid Treatment Program.
• $18,200 to Whole Family Community Initiative, House of Ruth for personnel costs for the counselor.

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Community benefit is the basis of the tax-exempt status of not-for-profit hospitals. Community benefit is defined as programs or activities that improve access to health services, enhance public health, advance increased general knowledge, and/or relieve the burden of government to improve health. In 2010, the Affordable Care Act added new requirements for tax-exempt hospitals in the areas of community health needs assessment (CHNA), implementation strategy, billing and collections and reporting. In 2014 the IRS issued final rules implementing these requirements. The goals of these provisions are to ensure that tax-exempt hospitals are meeting the health needs of their communities and to ensure greater transparency and accountability.

In addition to grants, the Reid Health Community Benefit sponsors various programs focused on community health, specifically in the areas of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Weight, and Access to Care.