Next Steps in Public Health: Mental & Behavioral Health Pilot Project Funding
The Institute for Public Health calls for pilot projects that address the needs of people experiencing housing insecurity and serious mental illness. To facilitate and enhance the translation of science into practice, these projects must be developed through a community/academic partnership consisting of at least one community partner and one WashU partner, who is also an Institute for Public Health Faculty Scholar. Selected teams can apply for one-time funding of up to $30,000.
This new funding opportunity stems from the institute’s recent Next Steps in Public Health: Mental & Behavioral Health event, called “Power in Partnership: Bridging from crisis to community for people experiencing housing insecurity and serious mental illness”. Read about the event below.
Submission Deadline: August 31 by 5 p.m. CDT
Review and Decision: Applications will be reviewed and funding will be awarded in October 2024.
Funding Timeframe: One-time, 12-month funding cycle
Funding Available: Applicants can apply for up to $30,000 in project costs.
The new funding opportunity stems from a March 2024 Next Steps in Public Health event called, “Power in Partnership: Bridging from crisis to community for people experiencing housing insecurity and serious mental illness.” Read more about the event below.
Please direct questions or concerns about applications related to Next Steps funding to Leah Kemper.
The teams must consist of at least one (1) faculty member that is an Institute for Public Public Health Faculty Scholar and one (1) community partner. Faculty whose scholar applications are in-process will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
View details about the IPH faculty scholar program.
All proposals will be reviewed by a committee that includes at least one (1) representative from IPH, invited faculty and one to two (1-2) community members as subject area experts.
If granted the award, the Institute for Public Health will work with the winning teams to determine where to transfer the funds. Participation in at least one campus-wide forum to highlight the project or results is required. The institute will coordinate with project teams to link them to opportunities to highlight their work.
About Next Steps in Public Health
The March 2024 Next Steps in Public Health: Mental and Behavioral Health event welcomed more than 80 WashU and community partners and mental health and housing experts to the Delmar DivINe. The day-long session focused on hospital-community partnerships to address the major health and social issues facing individuals experiencing housing insecurity and serious mental illness.
The event featured a keynote presentation, a panel discussion and breakout groups focused in the following areas:
- Programs to facilitate direct linkage to housing or other resources in the emergency department
- Creating or augmenting street medicine or other outreach programs
- Partnerships with federally qualified health centers and other local medical and behavioral health partners
- Growth in respite care (post-acute short-term housing and support)
The following key themes and takeaways emerged across all four breakout discussions:
More detail regarding these themes is available in the event summary.
- There is a broad need for cross-sector collaboration and coordination.
- Policy change, both in Medicaid payment policy and in city and county policy, is needed to facilitate the kind of work that needs to be done.
- Specific investment in workforce is needed to sustain the work going forward.
Funding is provided by the Institute for Public Health.
The Next Steps in Public Health: Mental and Behavioral Health event was organized and supported by the Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy and Economics Research, the Center for Community Health Partnership and Research, the Department of Psychiatry, and the Department of Emergency Medicine at WashU; and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.