WARWICK, RI (January 11, 2021) – Thrive Behavioral Health, Inc. was awarded $10,000 in grant funding by the Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corporation (RIHEBC). The funding opportunity was made available through RIHEBC’s “What’s Important Now” (WIN) Grant. The grant assists educational and healthcare institutions in meeting COVID-related expenses that were unforeseen prior to the pandemic.
Established in 1966 by the General Assembly of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corporation is a quasi-public agency that assists the state’s healthcare and private and public educational institutions in gaining access to low-cost financing for facilities construction and renovation.
“I am pleased to inform you the board approved your WIN grant in the amount of $10,000,” said Executive Director Kimberly Mooers in a letter notifying Thrive it was a recipient. “Congratulations, and best wishes in continuing to fulfill your organization’s mission as you navigate this incredibly challenging environment.”
The funding will be used to purchase personal protection equipment for Thrive’s staff and clients including face covers, medical surgical masks, 3M respirators, anti-fog face shields, nitrile gloves and isopropyl alcohol spray. It will also enable Thrive to purchase equipment to conduct telehealth sessions at its Hillsgrove Clubhouse, which provides a work-ordered day setting for clients impacted by serious and persistent mental illness.
“To comply with state mandates and ensure the safety of our staff and clients during COVID-19, we had to suspend walk-in appointments, shift face-to-face consultations and treatment to telehealth, and implement remote operations at Hillsgrove Clubhouse,” stated Dan Kubas-Meyer, President and CEO of Thrive. "This funding will enable us to continue safely providing behavioral health services while ensuring members of Hillsgrove participate in telehealth sessions.”
Thrive’s Hillsgrove Clubhouse is based on the philosophy that recovery from serious mental illness must involve the whole person within a vital and culturally sensitive community. It offers people living with mental illness opportunities for friendship, employment, housing, education and access to medical and psychiatric services in a single caring and safe environment. This social and economic inclusion reverses the alarming trends of higher suicide, hospitalization and incarceration rates associated with mental illness.
Through the clubhouse environment, individuals achieve or regain the confidence and skills they need to lead vocationally productive and socially satisfying lives. Hillsgrove guarantees its members a place to belong, a right to return, the potential to develop meaningful relationships, and the opportunity for meaningful work. Each member’s strengths are recognized, and members are empowered to become successful and confident community members. At Hillsgrove, members gain new skills, grow their confidence levels and develop social abilities so they can function independently. For more information on the program, visit https://www.thrivebhri.org/programs-services/hillsgrove-clubhouse.