Palm Beach County-Based Faulk Center for Counseling Receives $300,000 Grant
Boca Raton, Fla. (March 14, 2022) – The Florida Blue Foundation, the philanthropic foundation for the state’s Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, announced a $3.8 million investment to enhance mental health for Florida’s children, families, and seniors.
Twelve nonprofit organizations across the state share in the investment that will support community-based programs that directly improve access to and quality of mental well-being services, particularly for the underserved and uninsured, including racial and ethnic minorities, and low-income populations.
Among the 12 nonprofit organizations receiving a grant is Faulk Center for Counseling in Palm Beach County. During the recent “Women Making a Difference” event honoring the work of Elizabeth H. Faulk and the women who have made history in Palm Beach County and at the Faulk Center for Counseling, Florida Blue announced the $300,000 grant.
“Our mental well-being is just as important as our physical health, yet many Floridians suffering from loneliness, stress, anxiety or addiction do not get the help they need due to the stigma of mental illness or lack of access to support,” said Maggie Lucas, market leader for Florida Blue. “We are investing $300,000 to provide direct mental health counseling services to more than 1,500 low-income, high-need individuals (children, tweens, teens, adults, and seniors) across Palm Beach and Broward counties through the expansion of telehealth services and the further reduction of associated service fees.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 180,000 Florida children aged 12-17 suffer from depression, and 64.2% did not receive any mental health care in the last year.
Three other South Florida organizations will benefit from more than $1.35 million in grants to provide unique solutions to this crisis. The other organizations include: Guitars Over Guns: M-Power Program (Miami-Dade), Nova Southeastern University: STEPS (School Toolkit for K-12 Educators to Prevent Suicide) (Broward), and Kristi House: Project HEADSTRONG (Miami-Dade).
Additional organizations from across the state also received grants from the Florida Blue Foundation ranging from $250,000 to $400,000 to address mental well-being needs in the communities they serve, including programs that:
- Provide mental health counseling and education in schools for under/uninsured students;
- Provide a safe environment for mental and emotional healing for members of the LGBTQ+ community, transgender individuals, victims of hate crimes and LGBTQ+ seniors;
- Train spiritual leaders to offer tele-mental health and well-being support to Black men and youth in low-income areas; and
- Enhance engagement with seniors who live alone and became even more isolated and lonely during COVID-19.
The $3.8 million investment is part of an ongoing commitment by the Florida Blue Foundation to address mental well-being across the state. Over the past five years, the Foundation has invested more than $12.7 million in nonprofit organizations’ addressing mental health needs in Florida.
About the Florida Blue Foundation
The Florida Blue Foundation enables healthy communities by making grants, building coalitions and embracing solutions that create a meaningful impact in our communities. More than 6.5 million Floridians have received services as a result of our community investments since our founding in 2001. The Florida Blue Foundation’s programs are focused on advancing mental well-being, improving health equity, impacting food security and addressing systemic racism and resulting health disparities. Florida Blue Foundation is a trade name of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation, Inc., an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, please visit www.FloridaBlueFoundation.com.