Grant To Help Provide Low-Cost Mental Health Services in Valley

The following was submitted for publication on behalf of Coachella Valley Spotlight:

More people in the area may get the mental health treatment they need thanks to a $25,000 Coachella Valley Spotlight grant presented to All-Desert Wellness Centers (ADWC), which provides professional counseling services to people with little or no psychiatric insurance. The grant, presented by the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, will help fund ADWC’s Social Skills Program for Autistic Children and their Parents, as well as the Operation S.A.V.E Our Youth Program, and art education, which research shows contributes greatly to healing and improved mental health.

“Every person deserves access to affordable and excellent mental health services,” said Jamie Kirkpatrick, PsyD, MFT, Clinical Director of ADWC. Kirkpatrick and two colleagues, Lani Long, MFT and Stephen Harmon, MFT, founded the organization in 2008 while working fulltime as therapists because they saw a gap in mental health care for uninsured and underinsured people in the area. All services are provided on a sliding scale based on income and family size.

Through its services to people of all ages, All-Desert Wellness Centers aims to empower individuals, children, adolescents, and their families to cultivate better relationships, pursue meaningful work, education and leisure activities, and to foster a more satisfying sense of community that will contribute to better health and healthier lifestyles now and throughout their lives.

“The number of people who benefit from an organization like All-Desert Wellness Centers goes beyond the actual clients,” said Christopher McGuire, Vice President of Programs for the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. “Extended family also feel the impact of people who receive the mental health services they need, and this creates a healthier community.”

“It is amazing to see an organization offer so much to the community with a network of professional volunteers who are willing to give their time to help others,” said Mike Stutz, General Manager of Gulf California Broadcast Company, which owns and operates CBS Local 2. “We are happy to tell the All-Desert Wellness Centers story and possibly help other people help themselves through the services this organization provides.”

As part of the award, All-Desert Wellness Centers will be featured on CBS Local 2’s “Eye on the Desert,” in public service announcements and on the www.cbslocal2.com website during September. All-Desert Wellness Centers is located at 73-726 Alessandro Dr., Suite 201, Palm Desert. For more information call760-797-5151 or visit www.alldesertwellness.org. Services are available in English and Spanish.