Adler Community Health Services (ACHS) has been awarded a generous grant from the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Grant Program. The COVID-19 Telehealth Program provides funding to health care providers as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

This funding will enable student-clinicians and their supervisors to provide connected care services to patients at their homes or mobile locations during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever, funding for telecommunications services, information services, and health care technology access is critical to reaching patients where they are.

Adler Community Health Services was awarded this grant to expand its behavioral telehealth program by purchasing laptops with mobile data and upgrading to remote voice services to assist student-clinicians to work with clients from their homes or in any private setting. Additionally, with the support of this grant, ACHS will be able to increase access to behavioral health care for more individuals in more areas with improved wireless coverage and network connectivity.

Adler University believes that closing the digital divide is essential to providing necessary health services, especially in an urban setting where many residents still encounter dramatic health care inequities when seeking care. Advances in broadband-enabled health technologies allows more populations to access the care they need. By providing connected care services through telehealth, more Chicagoans will have access to behavioral health services.

Since 1972, Adler University has expanded mental health services for underserved communities through its clinical training programs. In 2010, Adler Community Health Services moved to a community-embedded model to increase access to their services. Since then, ACHS has provided Chicagoans with services that meet the patient where they are. This model allows ACHS to be guided by the needs of community members, while also training Adler students to be socially responsible mental health practitioners. ACHS graduate students and their licensed supervisors provide mental health services at 12 community health clinics, shelters, and social service organizations across the Chicago area.