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CHARLESTON -- The West Virginia Child Advocacy Network (WVCAN) was presented with a $100,000 grant from Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health last week. This funding will help local Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) provide more robust mental health treatment to children who have experienced abuse.
WVCAN served over 4,700 new children last year at the 21 CACs across the state. A core service of CACs is connecting children with evidence-based, trauma-informed mental health treatment regardless of that family's ability to pay for services.
Out of those children, 1,027 of them initiated specialized mental health treatment through a CAC after they were referred for reported child abuse and/or neglect -- with many more receiving ongoing services. However, this accounts for only 22% of new children served.
Children's access to and the sustainability of these services is critically impacted in West Virginia by the limited availability of mental health treatment providers with training in specialized child trauma treatment, and the challenges of financial sustainability of services.
This funding positively impacts both roadblocks by providing an injection of funds for hiring and training of specialized treatment providers and supporting them and their agencies' credentialling to cover costs through billing private insurance and Medicaid.
"We are so grateful for Highmark West Virginia investing in the lives of children who have been affected by abuse," said Kate Flack, Chief Executive Officer of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network. "This funding will set programs up to increase children's access to trauma care across West Virginia for years to come."
The Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health, a fund of the Highmark Foundation, is a private, charitable organization of Highmark, Inc. that supports initiatives and programs aimed at improving community health. Their mission is to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for individuals who reside in all 55 counties in West Virginia.