Increasing Access to Mental Health Providers in Louisville with $1 Million Donation

The need for mental health services across the country, including our hometown Louisville, is staggering. The Humana Foundation is partnering with Greater Louisville Inc (GLI) to support mental health providers working in small practice settings to improve operations and increase services to help victims of trauma in the city.

Grants between $50,000 and $100,000 will be awarded for projects that enable providers to significantly increase the number of people receiving mental health services. Priority will be given to applicants – such as psychologists, psychiatrists and youth counselors – who provide care to diverse and underrepresented populations.

It is estimated that 22.8% of American adults experienced mental illness in 2021, nearly 12 million have had suicidal thoughts and one in five young adults experience depression. In Kentucky, 43% of adults said they felt depressed or anxious, and nearly 23% were unable to access the treatment they needed.

In Jefferson County, more than 170 people died by suicide in 2022. People in this community need support, and increasing access to mental health treatment in Louisville needs to be a top priority.

Across the state, at least 215 more psychiatrists are needed to support our community. The shortage of providers is particularly acute in Louisville’s Jefferson County, which is home to less than 13% of the state’s mental health counselors and 25% of the state’s workforce.

“The traumatic event in April and the tragedies that have occurred since have highlighted the need for increased mental health support for our residents,” said Tiffany Benjamin, CEO of the Humana Foundation. “We’re acting quickly to improve mental health quality and outcomes in the short-term, while continuing our focus on addressing access and stigma issues in the long-term. We hope this effort will help to heal and strengthen our community, while addressing a very real and urgent crisis.”

The Humana Foundation is contributing $300,000 and matching up to $300,000 more from corporate and individual donations. The Humana Foundation and GLI are also bringing together local leaders who will serve on the advisory committee for this initiative.

Mental health providers can apply for the one-year grants on Greater Louisville Inc.’s website.

“GLI is honored to partner with the Humana Foundation to leverage our connections and role as a convener of businesses to help mental health providers scale their operations to better meet the needs of our community,” said Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, President and CEO of Greater Louisville Inc. “Mental health directly impacts our workforce and therefore the vitality of our regional economy. GLI and the more than 1,800 businesses we represent appreciate the Humana Foundation’s investment in the immediate and future well-being of our entire community.”

The Humana Foundation’s $1 million donation to bolster mental health resources in Louisville also includes support for victims and families of April’s mass shooting in Louisville, provided through a $50,000 grant to the Community Foundation of Louisville, and future efforts to spur community conversation and engagement in trauma support. These efforts build on the $5.5 million in regional mental health grants announced in October 2022 and deliver on Foundation’s mission to advance health equity and create healthy emotional connections in the communities it serves.

“Understanding, identifying and correctly treating mental illness is crucial to the health and well-being of our community,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. “To do this properly, we’re going to need to train and certify a lot of talented and caring individuals who are ready to make a positive difference in the lives of their neighbors. Thank you to the Humana Foundation and GLI for stepping up and helping to address this critical issue here in Louisville and across the Commonwealth.”

Learn more about Humana Foundation’s commitment to improving health equity in our communities.