Helio Health to use more than $400K in federal funding to expand behavioral-health training

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Helio Health, Inc. will use a federal grant of more than $414,000 to improve its Join It, Live It, Be It program.

The program creates training opportunities for Central New Yorkers seeking to work in behavioral health as a certified volunteer or counselor, the office of U.S. Representative John Katko (R–Camillus) said in a Tuesday news release.

Syracuse–based Helio Health is a behavioral-health provider that treats patients with mental-health disorders and helps individuals recover from substance-use disorders.

The funding is available through the Health Resources Services Administration’s (HRSA) opioid-impacted family support program (OIFSP). It’s a program that seeks to increase the number of training opportunities for behavioral-health professionals, “especially for those working in underserved areas.”

HRSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This funding will allow this organization to expand its Join It, Live It, Be It program, Katko said.

“With many Central New Yorkers struggling to deal with the emotional toll of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, I believe it is more important than ever that we increase access to quality mental health and substance use disorder treatment services,” the Congressman said.

“Helio Health developed a transformative agenda to help communities recover from COVID-19 through improved access to behavioral-health services and supports, offering a challenge to Join It, Live It, Be It … this funding will allow us to expand the availability of training and after training apprenticeship opportunities for people seeking to work in behavioral health as a certified peer or counselor, through the Helio Health Training Institute,” Jeremy Klemanski, president and CEO of Helio Health, said.