Emily Hays Photo
Mothers for Justice advocate and Clifford Beers mother Claudette Kidd.
New Haven nonprofit Clifford Beers has won $16 million to help the federal government understand how to fight opioid addiction by addressing all of a family’s health needs.
Only seven cities were chosen for the Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model award. Clifford Beers is the only small nonprofit awarded the seven-year grant; the other recipients are hospitals, universities and state health departments.
Local and state leaders gathered at City Hall on Tuesday morning to celebrate the honor.
“You have yet again helped put New Haven on the map,” said Mayor Justin Elicker.
The InCK Model looks at the “whole child,” meaning people at schools, housing organizations, and clinics have to communicate and work together to make sure all of the factors that determine children’s health are easy for families to access. The goal is to improve health outcomes on substance abuse among kids and young adults eligible for Medicaid and avoid costly hospital stays or foster care.
Mayor Justin Elicker, Kidd and state commissioners and representatives.
Clifford Beers, which provides mental health care to children and adults, has already been working on this kind of holistic approach.
One speaker at the press conference spoke about why it worked for her.
Claudette Kidd said she turned to Clifford Beers five months ago because her daughter started acting out in school. She was pleasantly surprised by the nonprofit’s approach. Staff asked whether they could come to her house and when they were there, whether they could sit down.
“They looked me in my eyes and asked me about myself. After I realized they were not there to check boxes, I opened up,” Kidd said.
Kidd said that she has a two-year degree but found herself homeless. Originally from the U.K., she went to live with family members in the U.S. It did not work out, she said.
Living in a shelter was a shock with its curfews and the need to share space with other families. Kidd said that she finally got a housing voucher by advocating for herself in City Hall and with state representatives.
That was when the anxiety, trauma and depression caused by her experience kicked in.
Clifford Beers helped Kidd access mental health care for herself at the same time that they treated her daughter. Now, Kidd said, her daughter has made the school honors list and Kidd has felt her own confidence and mood improve.
“I’m smiling more instead of being depressed and sleeping all day,” she said.
Clifford Beers CEO Alice Forrester, Kidd and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz
President Donald Trump campaigned on ending the opioid crisis and has tied billions in federal dollars to addressing overdoses.
Opioids touched Connecticut families and children. Last year, 1,200 people died from opioid overdoses in Connecticut, a record high for the state. However, opioid addiction is far from the only reason families seek Clifford Beers’ help.
CEO Alice Forrester said that the nonprofit plans to use the grant for the variety of factors harming families’ health, including food, transportation and housing insecurity.
“Housing is the top issue causing stress for our families,” Forrester said.
Clifford Beers’ vision is for any doctor, school or other organization touching a New Haven family’s life to help them find the services they need.
“What we want for New Haven is for there to be no wrong door,” Forrester said.
If Clifford Beers proves that the InCK Model works and can find a way to pay for it beyond the grant, the governor’s office wants to roll the experiment out statewide.
Meanwhile, Kidd’s experience with Clifford Beers has changed her career path. She is thinking about going back to Southern Connecticut State University for a social service degree and hopes to either work with the nonprofit or serve on their board. She also continues her advocacy with Mothers and Others for Justice.
