SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (SAMHSA) AWARDS EASTERSEALS NJ (ENJ) $3.29M GRANT

Funding Enables ENJ’s CenterPath Wellness to Serve 500-700 Children and Adults with Severe Mental Concerns Over the Course of Two Years

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – Easterseals NJ received a two-year $3.29M grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The grant is designed to increase access to mental health services for hundreds of individuals in Union County, NJ with severe emotional distress (SED). It will also apportion funds to support the wellness of essential mental health workers and staff members who care for individuals in the CenterPath Wellness (CPW) clinics, a counseling service center affiliated with Easterseals NJ. The grant will help Easterseals NJ provide expanded services to 500-700 children and adults over the course of two years, along with mental health workers.

“Few populations are more critical to serve than our young people, especially those struggling with severe mental health concerns. We are here to serve them, and this generous grant allows us to significantly expand the breadth and scope of our services,” said Easterseals NJ CEO and President Brian Fitzgerald. “Through this grant, SAMHSA is also acknowledging that the essential workers who help these individuals need mental health services as well, so they can do their jobs at the highest level each and every day. For these reasons, our gratitude for this SAMHSA grant is profound.”

Through this grant, Easterseals NJ will be able to significantly increase access to services for children and adults with severe emotional distress and support the wellness and recoveries of those individuals, especially given the lack or limitations of those services due to COVID-19. The grant will support CPW’s need for technology, marketing of services, and training. The funding will also enable Easterseals NJ and CPW to promote its services to its local provider networks.

About Easterseals NJ

For over 70 years, Easterseals New Jersey has helped individuals and families with disabilities or special needs live, learn, work and play in their communities with equality, dignity and independence. Annually, over 5,000 people in New Jersey with developmental disabilities receive services in programs designed to help them achieve independence and full communityintegration. For more information on Easterseals New Jersey and its statewide disability services, visit http://www.eastersealsnj.org./

About CenterPath Wellness

Established in 1944, CenterPath Wellness, a not-for profit community mental health clinic, has been spreading hope, healing, and determination to individuals seeking mental health, addictions, and behavioral services in Union County and the surrounding communities. For more information on CenterPath Wellness and its services, visit https://www.mycenterpath.org/ or call 908-756-6870.