STEPHENVILLE — Texas Health Resources has awarded a $250,000 grant to local organizations to implement a new program they developed to increase resiliency skills for Erath County residents.
The grant program, known as Community Connection Cohorts, is a collaboration between CASA for the Cross Timbers Area (lead grantee); Choices Clinic & Life Resource Center; Cross Timbers Fine Arts Council; Dr. Kate Jones, a Tarleton State University College of Education instructor; Erath County Wholistic Investment Network (WIN); Erath County United Way/Erath County Community Bridges and Morning Star Ranch.
The program strives to help residents who have endured Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs. ACEs are traumatic events that occur during childhood and adolescence that can have lasting negative effects on a person’s physical and mental health. Examples include abuse, neglect or dysfunction within the household such as substance abuse, mental illness or divorce.
“In Erath County, many residents who have experienced trauma struggle to access timely, coordinated support because, as a rural region, services are frequently underfunded, fragmented and difficult to navigate,” said Kristy Allen with CASA for the Cross Timbers Area. “While dedicated providers work diligently to help residents, long waitlists, limited bilingual capacity, and lack of a referral system create major barriers—leaving residents in crisis with few immediate options.”
The grant aims to help residents living in Dublin, Lingleville, Huckabay, Morgan Mill and Stephenville, specifically the ZIP codes of 76401, 76402 and 76446, which were identified as having higher needs in Texas Health’s most recent Community Health Needs Assessment.
Participants will gain access to critical resources that foster stability and well-being through community events, counseling, arts-based resilience activities, caregiver education sessions, and essential needs vouchers. The services are tailored to each individual’s needs and delivered in familiar community locations to reduce stigma and increase comfort.
“Research has shown that those who experience Adverse Childhood Experiences are at significantly higher risk of mental illness, chronic conditions, substance use and long-term socioeconomic challenges,” said Mandy Forbus, M.P.H., a Community Health Improvement director with Texas Health. “As Texas Health’s Mission is to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve, we are excited to invest in an Erath County collaboration that can help alleviate the long-term effects of this trauma and promote healthier and happier lives.”
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