A $2.9 million grant has been awarded to Southwest Mississippi Mental Health Complex by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The grant is intended to target children or youth suffering from serious emotional disturbance (SED), adults suffering from serious mental illness (SMI) and co-occurring disorders (COD) services to adults and children.

This grant is to increase access to mental health services across the nine-county region served by SWMMHC — Franklin, Lawrence, Walthall, Pike, Amite, Jefferson, Adams, Claiborne and Wilkinson.

U.S. Congressman Michael Guest said he was grateful for the funding.

“I am proud of the work that the Southwest Mississippi Mental Health Complex will accomplish through this significant grant award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,” Guest said. “SWMMHC has served a range of patients, from children to the elderly, and with these funds they will be able to expand their services in underserved areas in need of critical behavioral healthcare services. HHS’s investment in our state will help improve lives in Southwest Mississippi.”

“Services are desperately needed in this region for children and adults, but SWMMHC needs the cooperation of school systems and families throughout the region to expand and enhance services,” said SWMMHC Community Outreach Specialist Ashleigh Aldridge. “We will collaborate with the schools within the surrounding communities and will also open additional Psychosocial Rehabilitation Programs for adults with serious mental illnesses in various counties throughout the region.”

For more information on SWMMHC and its services, contact Director of Administrative Services Margo Brooks or Executive Director Sherlene Vince at 601-684-2173.