NEW YORK (March 8, 2021) – Headstrong Project Inc., a national-facing mental health treatment practice providing veterans with barrier-free mental health care, received a $300,000 investment from the McCormick Foundation to assist in community engagement efforts necessary to expand mental health care delivery to veterans and their families. Amidst ongoing efforts to meet the growing demand for critical mental health access for the veteran families, the funding will help increase Headstrong’s ability to drive demand for our services in the most vulnerable communities within the Chicagoland area.
“The McCormick Foundation Veterans program is committed to increasing access to high quality mental health care to the veterans of Illinois. There is no one size fits all when it comes to mental health care for veterans. Partnering with Headstrong provides more options and more equitable access to mental health care for the veterans of Chicagoland”, said Megan Everett, Veterans Program Director at Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Working in partnership with Weill Cornell Medical College, one of the nation’s leading mental health care centers, Headstrong developed a first of its kind program tailored to each individual’s needs. The customized treatments address issues like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), addiction, anxiety and depression, trauma, grief, and anger management. A majority of the investment will go towards increasing awareness and levels of service to include a telehealth pilot program launched amid the COVID-19 crisis in 2020.
“As one of our nation’s prized communities, Headstrong’s commitment to Chicagoland veteran families runs deep and is oriented on the long haul of sustainability. Partners like the McCormick Foundation, itself a storied supporter of America’s veteran population, make that sustainability possible and we’re thankful to be partnering with such a wonderful philanthropic team as McCormick”, said Colonel (U.S. Army, Ret.) Jim McDonough, Executive Director of Headstrong.
With a current roster of 9 highly trained clinicians, the impact of the McCormick Foundation’s investment will not only engage community leaders but also aid the recruitment of additional local world-class clinicians adding to the overall value of Headstrong’s services.
“Headstrong’s clinicians are the secret ingredient of our model of care and treatment. With years of trauma-informed care and experience behind each of them, Headstrong’s clinical team supporting Chicagoland veteran families only grows from here, meaning more people accessing care, exactly what is needed to best support the community, said Colonel (U.S. Army, Ret.) McDonough.”
Headstrong has demonstrated success in eliminating, or significantly decreasing, symptoms of mental health challenges and creating positive results such as restoring sleep, improving family communications and reducing substance abuse. Since its inception in 2012, Headstrong has served nearly 1,000 clients every month, through thousands of sessions of clinical care delivered by world-class, trauma-informed therapists and leading to improvements in mental health within the Post-9/11 veteran population. To learn more visit theheadstrongproject.org.
About Headstrong
Founded in 2012, Headstrong provides confidential, cost-free and bureaucracy-free mental health care treatment for military veterans and their families. Headstrong currently offers effective, individually tailored and comprehensive in-person and telehealth treatment programs for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other related military trauma within 12 States and 28 markets. Treating ~1000 veterans a month with over 45,000 clinical sessions, Headstrong is well on its way to become the National mental health treatment practice of choice for America’s military connected families. Follow Headstrong @getheadstrong on social media or visit our website: theheadstrongproject.org to learn more on how Headstrong is healing the hidden wounds of war.
About The Robert R. McCormick Foundation
The Robert R. McCormick Foundation helps communities in Chicagoland and across Illinois develop educated, informed, and engaged citizens. Through philanthropic grantmaking and Cantigny Park, the Foundation works to strengthen our democracy, and to help ensure that people, especially children, have equitable access to the opportunities they need to flourish. The McCormick Foundation, among the nation’s largest foundations with more than $1.5 billion in assets, was established in 1955 upon the death of Col. Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. Find out more at www.mccormickfoundation.org.