The Georgia Department of Veterans Service is proud to announce the selection of two recipients for the Veterans Mental Health Services Grant Program. The Emory Healthcare Veterans Program and the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Aspire Health Partners were chosen after a thorough review of eligible applicants.

“We are honored to support these organizations who are providing much needed services to our veterans, military service members, and their families,” said Patricia Ross, Commissioner of Georgia Department of Veterans Service. “The GDVS is committed to building a strong network of mental and behavioral support to serve our over a million military-affiliated Georgians.”

Emory Healthcare Veterans Program (EHVP) provides post-9/11 veterans and service members with expert mental healthcare through outpatient and telemedicine programs, as well as family support services. Launched in 2015, EHVP has assisted thousands of veterans seeking critical mental health care services.

EHVP’s centerpiece program is a two-week intensive outpatient program which provides a multidisciplinary, individualized, and holistic course of behavioral healthcare. The program is offered at no cost – all treatment, travel, lodging, meals, and activities are covered for participants to reduce barriers to care.

EHVP will use awarded grant funds to expand the awareness and reach of the program in underserved Georgia military and veteran communities. Their plans include a traveling Veteran Outreach Coordinator to collaborate with military installations and veteran service organizations. The coordinator will spread awareness of the program and assist with the application process for care.

The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Aspire Health Partners provides accessible, confidential, and high-quality behavioral healthcare services to active-duty military service members, post-9/11 veterans, National Guardsmen, Reservists, and their families. The first Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic in Georgia opened in Hinesville in October 2022 and is part of the Cohen Veterans Network of 23 clinics across 16 states.

“We are excited to partner with the State of Georgia to meet the behavioral health needs of our military families. This commitment to those in uniform, veterans, and their families will help them overcome the challenges they face on a daily basis,” said Babette Hankey, President & CEO, of Aspire Health Partners.

The clinic offers individualized care designed with military culture in mind to provide supportive environments through in-person and telemedicine services. The clinic also provides case management support for social services, including connecting clients with childcare, employment support, housing, legal assistance, and aids service members transitioning into the civilian workforce.

The clinic will use awarded grant funds to enhance services at the Hinesville clinic, to include adding clinicians as requests for service grow. The clinic, located near Fort Stewart, serves a large active-duty military population with continual deployments and a busy transition assistance program office. More than 25,000 veterans also call the Fort Stewart area home.

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About the Veterans Mental Health Services Grant Program:

The Veterans Mental Health Services Grant program was created through HB 414 and was signed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on April 25, 2023. The grant program aims to improve and expand access to mental health services for military service members, veterans, and their families in the state of Georgia.

Grant recipients were required to meet certain eligibility criteria.

To be considered for funding, programs must:

  • provide behavioral health services;
  • utilize evidence-based practices;
  • integrate military cultural competency training for staff members;
  • connect clients with appropriate community-based behavioral health services upon discharge in a timely manner.

Priority status was given to programs with locations within 50 miles of a military base and for applicants seeking grants for operating costs attached to a project for which capital investments have already been made.

About GDVS:

The Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS) is not part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but is an agency of Georgia’s state government created for the purpose of advising, counseling, and assisting Georgia’s veterans and their families in receiving their rightful benefits under the vast and complex framework of veterans’ laws. The GDVS mission, to serve Georgia's veterans and their families in all matters pertaining to veterans benefits, falls into two basic tasks: informing veterans and their families about veterans’ benefits, and directly assisting and advising veterans and their families in securing the federal and state benefits to which they are entitled.

Veterans or their family members should contact their local field office to schedule an appointment. Locate a veterans service office near you at: https://veterans.georgia.gov/locations/veterans-field-service-office-ne…