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Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care Program Bolsters Services Across Three States

Direct Relief, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, or NAFC, announced grant funding to address the critical need for expanded mental health services in medically underserved communities.

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Teva

St. Michael's Medical Clinic integrates comprehensive mental health services into existing healthcare and social support systems. The free clinic has been able to expand mental health support, thanks to a recent grant. (Photo by St. Michael's Medical Clinic)
By Kim Ofilas

Direct Relief, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, or NAFC, today announced a second round of grant funding in the amount of $75,000 to each of 11 free and charitable clinics across Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. At the end of 2024, Teva committed $2 million over two years to the program to support Mental Health services (for 2025 and 2026) at selected grantee clinics. Now in its fourth year, Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care continues to address the critical need for expanded mental health services in medically underserved communities.

During 2025, these grantee programs reached more than 57,000 people with mental health services and conducted nearly 6,000 screenings for depression and anxiety, demonstrating significant impact in expanding access to behavioral health care for uninsured and underserved populations.

In recognition of the program’s demonstrated impact and the substantial unmet need, Teva Pharmaceuticals is providing the second round of funding to each of the 11 clinics. The funding will enable clinics to expand counseling capacity, extend service hours, strengthen telehealth infrastructure, and enhance community outreach.

“These clinics have shown that integrating mental health services into trusted primary care settings is both effective and essential for reaching people who otherwise have nowhere to turn,” said Carol Richardson, Sustainability and Health Equity Lead, Teva U.S. “The overwhelming need reinforces our commitment to helping expand access to care. That’s why we’re providing an additional round of funding to help these clinics build on their success and serve even more patients.”

The 11 clinics—serving communities across Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas—integrated behavioral health screening and counseling into primary care and pharmacy settings, reducing stigma and improving patient engagement. All programs met or exceeded their goals, with several clinics surpassing initial targets for screening volume and patient reach. The programs conducted over 5,000 depression and anxiety screenings, trained 262 healthcare providers, and delivered trauma-informed, culturally competent care to populations facing significant barriers to mental health services.

A provider talks with a student about mental health services at St. Michael’s Medical Clinic. The clinic is one of 11 to receive funding to expand critical mental health services. (Photo by St. Michael’s Medical Clinic)

Key successes include:

  • Adding mental health services to regular doctor visits and pharmacy services helped reduce shame. More patients felt comfortable getting help.
  • Using simple screening during routine checkups helped clinics identify people who needed mental health support earlier.
  • Creating easier access for patients via telehealth to speak with providers when they couldn’t travel to appointments or had scheduling problems.
  • Working with universities, mental health specialists, and community groups helped clinics serve more patients and connect them to the right services.
  • Reducing the stigma around mental health resulted in patients feeling comfortable seeking care.
  • Offering mental health support at pharmacies has created a new way to reach uninsured patients in places they already trust.

“Free and charitable clinics are trusted providers for uninsured patients and play a vital role in expanding access to behavioral health services,” said Nicole Lamoureux, NAFC President & CEO. “This program demonstrates that when we invest in clinics’ ability to deliver mental health care, patients engage in treatment, outcomes improve, and communities benefit. This additional funding will help sustain and expand these proven models.”

Clinics navigated significant challenges, including demand exceeding capacity, which required careful attention to sustainable implementation rather than rapid expansion. Housing instability, transportation barriers, and language access issues required coordinated navigation support. Policy changes affecting some communities led to decreased clinic visits even as mental health service demand remained high, underscoring the importance of trust-building and cultural responsiveness during periods of community stress.

“Access to mental health care depends not only on need, but on sustained resources and community-based partnerships, ” said Katie Lewis, Regional Director of U.S. Programs for Direct Relief. These clinics are expanding equitable, culturally responsive services, and this funding will help them reach the people who need it most.” 

Community Routes Grantees:

Alabama

  • Medical Outreach Ministries (Montgomery)
  • Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy (Mobile)
  • St. Michael’s Medical Clinic (Anniston)

Mississippi

  • Bethel Free Clinic, Inc. (Biloxi)

Texas

  • Brother Bill’s Helping Hand (Dallas)
  • Heal the City Free Clinic (Amarillo)
  • Health for All (Bryan)
  • Ibn Sina Foundation (Houston)
  • The Agape Clinic (Dallas)
  • Mercy Clinic of Fort Worth (Fort Worth)
  • Woven Health Clinic (Farmers Branch)

Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care is a collaboration between Teva, Direct Relief, and NAFC that addresses mental health access barriers in underserved communities. Since its 2022 launch, the initiative has provided medication donations across 10 states and grant funding to 22 clinics, reaching more than 120,000 beneficiaries through its first three years.

To read more, click here.

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