$1 Million Grant for Putnam Family & Community Services

CARMEL, NY — Putnam Family and Community Services, Inc. has received a $1 million grant over the next five years through the New York State Office of Mental Health.

PFCS is one of eight behavioral health providers in the state selected to receive the grant, with the goal of expanding community based programs for older adults facing mental health, substance use, and aging related issues, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.

As the lead agency of a triple partnership with the Office for Senior Resources and the National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies/Putnam, PFCS will oversee the mental health component of the new program.

“PFCS has a long history of working in the community with the aging population, and we are looking forward to partnering with OSR and NCADD in new ways to help those in need,” Alison Carroll, LCSW-R, VP of Strategic Initiatives at PFCS, said in the agency's announcement of the grant.

The three agencies will collaborate to identify, assess, and provide access to behavioral health and aging services to seniors aged 55 and older in need

Leading the initiative will be a licensed clinical social worker, care manager, and recovery coach, as well as nursing and psychiatric supports, according to the announcement. The program will identify and offer services to individuals aged 55 and older whose independence and involvement in the community may be compromised by behavioral health issues.

“This will be an exciting new model of care that will not only involve mobile services for this population, but will also employ telehealth monitoring units for our more fragile individuals,” Carroll said.

The telehealth monitors will be used to communicate with seniors who are at risk and can benefit from more immediate connections to health care providers.

The program will fall under the administrative oversight of the Director of the Mental Health Clinic of PFCS and is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2017.