The Memorial Hospital Foundation received a $98,000 grant from The Robert Wood Johnson in New Jersey to extend its School Clinic Therapist Program.

In 2006, Memorial Behavioral Health hired three School Clinic Therapists to provide counseling services to school-aged children in Harrison County schools thanks to a $250,000 grant from the McCormick Tribune Foundation in Chicago, IL. The School Clinic therapists rotate through Memorial Hospital’s thirteen school-based clinics in Harrison County to support the guidance counselors in their efforts to address the mental health issues from Hurricane Katrina.

“Since Katrina, there has been an increase in depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other disruptive behaviors that are affecting our school-aged children,” said Michael A. Zieman, Project Director and Hospital Administrator of Memorial Behavioral Health. “These therapists have provided free, convenient access to counseling to over 400 students in Harrison County. We appreciate the McCormick Tribune Foundation and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s investments in this important program as we continue our recovery from Katrina.”

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

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