WILMINGTON — U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., recently announced Coastal Horizons Center in Wilmington was awarded a $1.6 million federal grant through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Margaret Weller-Stargell, president of the nonprofit Coastal Horizons Center, is thrilled with the grant, which will be distributed over a four-year period.
“It works toward helping us achieve our goal of promoting choices for healthier lives and safe communities. It helps us meet the needs of so many clients who are uninsured or under-insured to get those needed services they otherwise would not be able to. We are very excited about this opportunity,” Weller-Stargell said.
Weller-Stargell said the grant will fund and enhance the center’s primary-care services, specifically for those who are severely mentally ill.
Coastal Horizons Center provides acute-care and long-term mental health and substance abuse services. They are outpatient services, and the center also offers “several step-down services for more long-term treatment with us,” she said.
“We provide both acute care and chronic counseling. Many of our clients who have a substance abuse diagnosis also have a mental health diagnosis,” Weller-Stargell said.
Coastal Horizons Center receives state funding to operate as the Local Management Entity (LME).
“They contract with us to provide substance abuse and mental health services and crisis intervention services,” Weller-Stargell explained.
Other funding sources include federal and state grants, New Hanover County, City of Wilmington, Cape Fear Area United Way, Cape Fear Memorial Foundation, Kate B. Reynolds Foundation, N.C. Council for Women, Duke Endowment and contributions from individual, corporations and foundations.
In addition to Coastal Horizons Shipyard Boulevard location in Wilmington, there are several satellite locations. Brunswick County has an outpatient clinic and a rape crisis center in Shallotte. In Pender County, Coastal Horizons operates an office in Burgaw.
“Coastal Horizons Center is on the front lines each and every day, helping citizens and building a better community. These federal funds will help them continue helping citizens and building a better community. These federal funds will help them continue their core mission of ‘promoting choices for healthier lives,’ and providing services to those in need,” McIntyre said.
