A new non-profit organization wants to use donations to help fund under-insured Alabamians’ mental health and substance abuse recovery care.
“We’d want to help folks before they get to a place of crisis by making therapy and counseling more accessible, increasing access across the state to the various services,” Liz Read, executive director of The Renewal Project, told Alabama Daily News.
The concept for the non-profit originated with Longleaf Recovery and Wellness, a care provider with multiple locations in Alabama.
“They had many families who had received care from their group, and the families were so grateful, they wanted the ability to pay it forward,” Read said.
Longleaf leadership recognized that to reach its full potential, the new organization should be separate from the recovery center, she said. While Longleaf will likely be a provider, it won’t be the only one for what Read and others want to be a statewide resource.
“Our goal is to service every level of care in the mental health and behavioral health space,” Read said. “… It may be therapy or counseling, it might be detox and residential care that people need.”
Intensive outpatient care or sober living are also care potions The Renewal Project wants to be able to fund.
The Renewal Project will provide funds directly to the providers on behalf of those seeking care.
Funding will be based on financial hardship and because the state already has programs for the indigent and those living below the federal poverty line, TRP will focus on the underinsured, Read said.
“They may have insurance, but the deductibles and copays are too high and they can’t access the care,” she said.
“… Those are people all around us. Those are our neighbors, those are our classmates or coworkers, fellow churchgoers.”
Read said many recipients may only need short-term care for a few months.
The project hopes to begin distributing funding late this year or early next year. In the meantime, leadership is trying to raise awareness among both potential donors and potential providers.
Recipients will be asked to “have some skin in the game” and pay for a portion of their care. Providers will be asked to negotiate their rates with TRP.
The Renewal Project’s 501(c)3 status is pending, but the Birmingham-based Addiction Prevention Coalition is partnering with it so money can be raised now.
“All Alabamians, regardless of their financial situation, deserve access, compassion and support. More treatment options mean more people living fuller, healthier lives,” Nichole Dawsey, executive director of the coalition, said in a written statement.
“The reality is, with what we’re trying to do, we could never raise enough money. We’re aware of that, but we do believe we can make a pretty significant impact.
“(That will result in) hours, days, weeks of therapy and treatment that otherwise would not have been accessed. And also lives impacted, not just directly, but indirectly. How many parents of how many children are we going to help get well?”
For more information on The Renewal Project, visit www.supportTRP.org.