On November 28, 2023, PacificSource announced AWARE as one of the 26 healthcare organizations that were selected to receive funding as part of its annual Community Health Excellence (CHE) program for the 2023 -2024 cycle. Now in its 14th year, the CHE program has awarded more than $11 million in community grant awards to providers advancing healthcare delivery innovations in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
AWARE’s therapeutic recreation program launched in November 2022 and started working with members in February 2023. This program is a service that focuses on the lifestyles of the people we serve to help them gain independence and enhance health and well-being based upon their strengths and goals. AWARE's therapeutic recreation program is designed to provide services to persons, who due to an illness, disability or other life circumstance need individualized assistance to improve health and wellness, level of functioning and independence in lifestyle. This program has the ability to work with people from youth to elderly. In a cooperative effort, program participants and their circle of support work to create a personalized plan of care to include preferred experiences and interventions that are experiential or recreative in nature. As therapeutic recreation goals are achieved, members see reduced symptoms in mental health and physical medical health challenges.
The CHE funds will support the expansion of AWARE’s therapeutic recreation program, driving it to a place of scalability and sustainability. With the support of PacificSource, AWARE expects to hire two to three additional therapeutic recreation service technicians in targeted areas in Montana, making the opportunity for therapeutic recreation available to more Montanans over the course of the one-year grant.
Brynn Molloy, director of development & marketing for AWARE said, “We are honored to be selected as recipients of the CHE grant. This investment by PacificSource is a testament to the importance of the incredible work our team does to provide a wraparound approach to care for the people we serve. It takes a team, and we are grateful for the support to expand our therapeutic recreation program in Montana. It will without a doubt enhance the lives of Montanans with mental health or developmental disabilities and empower them to be involved in their communities and all that our great state has to offer.”
“The CHE program brings to life innovative ideas that help providers heal their patients and improve quality of life,” Peter McGarry, PacificSource vice president, Provider Network, said. “I’m proud to be part of something that gives back — addressing gaps in our delivery system, improving outcomes, and making our communities healthier.”
About PacificSource Health Plans
PacificSource Health Plans is an independent, not-for-profit community health plan serving the Northwest. Founded in 1933, PacificSource has local offices throughout Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington. The PacificSource family of companies employs more than 1,600 people and serves over 600,000 individuals throughout the Greater Northwest. For more information, visit PacificSource.com.
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