Lake County Health Department services to children and adolescents in dysfunctional family situations could grow by as much as 50 percent in the coming year due to a grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services.
The $250,599 grant will boost by half the $500,000 annual budget for the Health Department’s Screening, Assessment and Support Services program, department officials said.
The extra money will allow the program to take on 50 to 75 new children and adolescents from dysfunctional homes, in addition to the approximately 150 youths currently enrolled in the program, said David Schanding, the department’s director of behavioral health services.
The program provides crisis intervention and case management for youths being considered for state-funded psychiatric hospitalization. It also provides long-term counseling for youths with emotional disturbances.
“The grant will give us a lot more flexibility in how many patients we treat, how we treat them and where we treat them,” Schanding said.
Children enrolled in the program can be treated at the program’s main facility in Waukegan or at their homes, depending upon the nature of their situation, Schanding said.
Schanding announced the grant at last week’s Board of Health meeting.
