Headstrong Project Inc. Announces Two-Year Investment from the Weinberg Foundation, Generating Greater Access to Mental Health Treatment for Service Members, Veterans, and Family Members in the Baltimore Area

NEW YORK (JANUARY 2, 2022) – Headstrong Project Inc., a national-facing mental health treatment practice of choice providing military connected individuals and their families with cost-free, barrier-free, and stigma-free, confidential mental health treatment, received a $400,000 grant from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation to assist in building the clinical assets necessary to provide greater access to mental health treatment and care for veterans and their families in the Baltimore, Maryland metro area. 

“The value of working with long-term partners like the Weinberg Foundation is that you get to know one another very well and enjoy a relationship that seeks opportunity together, to do more for each other in ways that improves lives in significant ways. That’s what this investment in creating greater access to care and treatment is all about and we are thankful to the Foundation for its ongoing support for our nation’s military connected families,” said Colonel (U.S. Army, Ret.) Jim McDonough, Headstrong’s Executive Director.

Over the last nine years, Headstrong has led an unprecedented effort to expand access to high-quality, community-based mental health resources for our US military members, veterans, and their families. Treating an average of 1,000 veterans a month across 28 distinct program geographies encompassing 12 states and the District of Columbia, with world-class clinicians who collectively have provided well over 70,000 individual clinical sessions. The grant allows Headstrong to provide greater access to care for Baltimore area service members, veterans and their family members suffering from service-related traumas such as PTSD, depression and anxiety by using evidence-based treatment models put in place by the Headstrong Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Amy  M. Williams.

 “The past year has created larger-than-ever demand for quality mental healthcare.  Transition and mental health problems related to two decades of fighting have been magnified by the pandemic and its aftermath.  Our nation’s health care system and providers have also experienced pressures in a shifting landscape of how to provide care. This grant will allow us to answer the call in the Baltimore area by supporting Headstrong providers in their work with our veterans, service members and families by using evidence-based interventions with a focus on outcome.”, said Dr. Williams.  

Given Headstrong’s mission to supply quality mental health care at no cost to the client, the funds supplied by the Weinberg Foundation will improve access to quality treatment options for lower-income households in Baltimore. 

“Anne Allen, Weinberg Foundation program officer, commented, “The Foundation’s partnership with Headstrong is critical in elevating both the accessibility and quality of mental health care for veterans and military families who struggle financially. Headstrong’s model, including alignment of partnerships, is leveraging real and meaningful impact in the Baltimore region.”

Headstrong will officially launch in the Baltimore market the third week of January, 2022 with plans to onboard clinical partnering providers to support the launch. The leadership team will also actively participate in the Baltimore community’ mental health alliance as part of the Baltimore collaborative, chaired by local partner, EveryMind’s Serving Together, along with multiple community leaders. Headstrong will commit engagement efforts that fit the Baltimore landscape best to ensure the military and veteran community have rapid and seamless access to tailored effective mental health treatment. The organizations efforts in Baltimore will fill a desperate need for mental health treatment and bring holistic care for every veteran in junction with local strategic partnerships. 

About Headstrong

Headstrong is a leading, national-facing mental health treatment practice of choice for the nation’s military connected members and their families. Our practice provides confidential, cost-free, bureaucracy-free, and stigma-free evidence-based mental health care to actively serving members of the armed forces, members of the National Guard and Reserves, veterans of all eras, and the family members of those connected to care.

Since its founding in 2012, Headstrong has provided mission-critical mental health care to address the alarming veterans’ suicide epidemic and the ever-widening gap in accessing equitable mental health care in America. Headstrong has demonstrated its expertise in addressing issues of equity, competency, and access through expansion of
its pioneering model based on networks of trauma- and military-informed clinicians in private practice within their community.

Currently operating in 12 states and within the District of Columbia, Headstrong’s trauma- informed clinical partners provide individualized, evidence-based care to more than 3,500 veterans and family members since inception and average of 1,000 active clients monthly. For the past decade Headstrong has delivered industry leading outcomes, with clients
who complete 24 clinical sessions exhibiting a 60 – 70% decrease of PTSD symptomatology and reduced suicidal ideation. Clients also report improved family communication and employment, a decrease in use of substances for self-medication,
and a decrease in use of prescribed medications as PTSD symptoms abate.

Learn more about Headstrong through our website at theheadstrongproject.org