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Kagman center gets $176K to add mental health programs
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Kagman Community Health Center will be able to begin services for mental health and substance abuse with $175,700 in federal funds awarded last Thursday. Kagman is one of 1,178 health centers nationwide to receive a grant, Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) said, and he congratulated executive director Vince Castro and the health center board and staff for taking the initiative to provide this new range of services.
“Our Kagman community has a great void in mental health and substance abuse services,” Castro explained. “Knowing this, it was prudent to apply for the Access Increases in Mental Health and Substance Abuse funding and start providing services in mental health and substance abuse.
“We have a 120-day plan to implement the services now that KCHC received funding,” he added.
“Our community is well aware of the costs to families and individuals as a result of substance abuse,” said Sablan. “Having services available at the Kagman Health Center, which is already proving to be so important to healthcare delivery on Saipan, will be one more way for us to address the drug and alcohol problem.”
The AIMS funds are intended to pay for increasing personnel, leveraging health information technology, and providing training.
The Kagman Community Health Center makes primary and preventive health care more easily available to approximately 16,000 people living in Kagman, Papago, Fina Sisu, Obyan, Dandan, San Vicente, As Teo, and As Terlaje.
After years of effort by community activists, the center was awarded start-up funding of $608,333 in 2012 with the help of Sablan and Obamacare. Sablan has continued to advocate for the annual federal funding that the health center relies on.
“Nationally, about half of all care for common mental health conditions happens in the primary care settings,” explained George Sigounas, head of the Health Resources and Services Administration, which manages the funding. (PR)
