Office of the Prosecuting Attorney Life’s Choices Announces Awardees
Published on October 13, 2023
Today, Prosecuting Attorney Rebecca Like announced the six recipients of the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Life’s Choices program Mental Health and Substance Abuse Community Program Grants for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. The total amount awarded is $1,000,000. Project funding will be November 1, 2023 through October 31, 2024.
Prosecutor Like said, “Our Office is excited about working with the various non-profit agencies serving vulnerable populations in our community. I have no doubt that their collective projects will save lives, reduce recidivism and increase public safety.”
The following organizations were awarded grants from the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney:
(1) Keala Foundation Prevention, Intervention, and Aftercare Program for Adolescent Mental Health and Substance Abuse
This program is dedicated to serving the youth of Kauai between the ages of 12 and 17 currently using substances, with a focus on those who are moderate to high-risk. The program aims to provide direct services to approximately 300 individuals each year.
Keala Foundation is built to mentor individuals to serve their communities with clarity, confidence and conviction. The goal of the intervention program is to divert one habit into another through a holistic approach to intervene early on to prevent substance abuse among Kauai’s youth. The program consists of an intentional combination and sequence of a fitness program (CrossFit), psychoeducational training (Positive Action), spiritual guidance through 12-step to success (12 steps to recovery), and Hawaiian cultural education through ʻāina based learning.
Staff and community partnerships include trained behavioral and prevention specialists, physical fitness coaches, Hawaiian cultural specialists, clinical and mental health consultants, certified substance abuse counselors, and community-based therapists. The outcome is the transition to overall wellness in a healthy environment.
(2) Kauai Region Recovery Services’ Inpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Telehealth and Therapist Service
Often when children or adolescents seek care for an acute mental health crisis, such as suicidal behavior, they can wait for many days in one of Kauai’s emergency rooms awaiting transfer to an Oahu facility that provides acute care. Currently, they do not receive mental health care while being held at Kauai’s emergency rooms.
Awarded funds will be used to pay for a service provided by the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program at Queen’s Medical Center which will make a provider available 365 days a year for these patients. Funds will also be used to pay for a psychologist with expertise in children and adolescent mental health to be available for in-person assessments and treatment at all the Kauai emergency rooms for these patients who are being held awaiting transfer.
(3) Kauai Region Recovery Services’ Mental Health Warmline
A mental health warmline is a call in, stop in service that assists providers, families, and patients who need mental health services to identify a mental health provider who: (1) is currently taking new patients and if they offer in-person or telehealth services; (2) accepts the patient’s insurance; (3) provides the service the patient is seeking, for the age group of the patient.
(4) Kauai Region Recovery Services’ RECOVER (ReEntry Coordination and Outreach Valued in Eliminating Recidivism)
This program aims to reduce the rate of recidivism and substance use disorder (SUD) relapse for individuals at Kauai Community Correctional Center.
This program will (1) improve substance use disorder treatment starting prior to release from KCCC by identifying those with SUDs; (2) increase staff to reduce delays in beginning SUD treatment after release; (3) partner with Adult Mental Health Division to eliminate delays in serious mental illness (SMI) treatment after release and (4) address the known barriers to participating is SUD/SMI treatment after release, such as lack of communication, ID, transportation, insurance and referrals to treatment.
(5) YWCA of Kauai
This award will support clinical services dedicated to adult/adolescent victims of domestic violence or LGBTQ+ individuals. These populations face significant risk of further victimization and repeated trauma. The primary objectives are to enhance service accessibility, reduce the stigma associated with seeking help, and deliver culturally sensitive care. The goal is to reduce substance use/abuse, increase the well-being of the Kauai community and reduce crime.
Domestic violence victims and LGBTQ individuals face significant obstacles in accessing mental health care, resulting in unmet needs and escalating crisis. By hiring a dedicated domestic violence therapist and allotting time for current YWCA therapists to offer comprehensive, evidence-based mental health services for target populations, there will be additional opportunity for healing in a healthy and therapeutic environment.
(6) Kaulu I Ka Pono Academy (KIPA)
KIPA is a residential treatment and educational facility for youth suffering from substance abuse and/or dependency on Kauai. It is equipped with 16 beds and is designed to eliminate the need to send Kauai teens off island for treatment services.
Awarded funds will be used to assist KIPA in expanding currently available services.
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