title
PROPOSED GRANT AWARD
Department: Cook County Health
Grantee: Cook County Health
Grantor: Department of Health and Human Services/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services/ Administration Center for Mental Health Services
Request: Authorization to accept grant
Purpose: Cook County Health Children’s Mental Health Initiative
Grant Amount: $999,999.00
Grant Period: 9/30/2026-9/29/2027
Fiscal Impact: None
Accounts: 41215.4896.10755
Concurrences:
The Budget Department has received all requisite documents and determined the fiscal impact on Cook County, if any.
Summary: This is a formal request to accept the Cook County Health Children’s Mental Health Initiative Grant. Cook County faces a severe youth behavioral health crisis. In 2023, more than 30,000 minors required behavioral health hospitalization in Chicago, and over 1,100 youth died by suicide between 2019 and 2023. Despite increasing demand, many youth do not receive timely care due to fragmentation and limited access. CareConnect Youth (CCY) addresses these challenges by establishing a coordinated infrastructure that connects identification to care. CCY is a community-based, school-linked system of care designed to improve access to behavioral health services for children, youth, and young adults (ages 0-21) with serious emotional disturbance (SED) and those at risk in Cook County, Illinois. Led by the Cook County Health Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) in partnership with Open Roads Behavioral Health a network of schools, health systems, and community organizations, CCY addresses critical gaps, including fragmented referral pathways, long wait times, and limited care coordination. The initiative will be implemented in high-need communities served by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Noble Schools, which collectively serve over 328,000 students, most of whom are Medicaid-insured. These settings provide a critical entry point for reaching youth with serious emotional disturbance (SED) and those at risk, particularly as Illinois prepares to implement universal school-based mental health screening for students in grades 3-12 beginning in the 2027-2028 school year following passage of Illinois SB1560, as demand will rapidly expand. CCY will implement a hub-based model beginning in North Lawndale, Chicago in Year 1, with expansion of hubs in Years 2-4. Each hub will serve as a single point of access supported by a centralized referral system, including an intake coordinator, telephone line, and web-based portal. Through a provider network, CCY will ensure access to a full continuum of services, including outpatient therapy, crisis response, intensive home-based services, day treatment, and care coordination. Services will be delivered using evidence-based practices, supported by a tiered care coordination model, including High-Fidelity Wraparound for youth with complex needs. CCY is guided by three core goals: increase timely access to care; improve clinical outcomes; and strengthen system integration. By Year 4, CCY will provide care coordination to 800 youth annually and deliver mental health services to 400 youth annually. Key targets include contacting 90% of referred youth within 5 days, linking 90% to treatment within 30 days, and achieving clinically meaningful improvement for at least 60% of youth within six months. The initiative includes a system of care Governance Board, cross-system partnerships, and a sustainability strategy anchored in Medicaid reimbursement and integration into OBH infrastructure. By aligning identification, referral, and service delivery, CCY will improve outcomes, reduce fragmentation, and establish a sustainable system of care ensuring youth and families receive timely, coordinated, and evidence-based support.
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