Bono Mack Announces Grant Support For Betty Ford Center

Press Release

Bono Mack Announces Grant Support For Betty Ford Center

Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (CA-45) today announces the Betty Ford Center is a recipient of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service Grant by the Department of Health and Human Services. As part of her efforts to battle substance abuse and support treatment and recovery programs, the Congresswoman assisted the Betty Ford Institute Substance Abuse Prevention and Training Program in receiving $249,977 in funding towards the program's services.

"I applaud the Betty Ford Center for their efforts in combating drug abuse and addiction and addressing this important need in our community. Substance abuse affects the health and lives of millions of Americans, many of them children. Just today the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health survey announced an increase in overall drug abuse--so I know this funding will be put to good use," stated Bono Mack.

"The Betty Ford Institute is pleased to acknowledge Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack for her leadership in obtaining this innovative grant in the amount of $249,977. With the financial support of this award in hand, the Betty Ford Institute, a leading center for addiction research, prevention and education, can now extend its role in training mental health professionals who care for young children living in homes where the impact of addicted parents and older siblings can impede their healthy psychological and educational development," commented Garrett O'Connor, M.D., President, Betty Ford Institute. "While participants will be screened and recruited from across the United States, special efforts will be made to include as many qualified attendees from Southern California as possible."

The Betty Ford Center, for the past several years, has been working with children whose parents suffer from addiction through the Children's Program. The funding from the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service grant will design, develop, and implement a training curriculum for health professional addressing the needs of these children. This proposed training program is based on the Betty Ford Center's success of their Children's Program Training Academy. Through the program, professionals will be educated on how to teach children about their parents' disease process, improve children's coping strategies, promote youth resiliency, ultimately improving upon the parent-child relationship post parent addiction.

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