To mitigate the financial impacts of COVID-19 on its grant partners, Episcopal Health Foundation introduced the Business Continuity Fund in May 2020. This fund was specifically created to provide financial support to organizations that are directly involved in COVID-19 response, serve populations disproportionately affected the pandemic, and have lost revenue as a result. For Integral Care, the Fund provided much-needed support as we transitioned to telehealth and telephone services for mental health, substance use and intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) services to telephone and telehealth. For the foreseeable future, we expect that the individuals we serve will rely on easily accessible supports, including telehealth.
Since launching the Fund, Episcopal Health Foundation has awarded Integral Care a total of $100,000 to support service delivery by telephone and telehealth. During the first round of funding, Integral Care received $30,000 to build telehealth capacity, allowing Integral Care’s IDD and Child and Family Services Divisions to purchase tablets for use in group homes, as well as with children enrolled in services. In September, Integral Care was awarded an additional $70,000 to cover the cost of cell service and ensure continued access to services for existing Integral Care clients who are experiencing homelessness and are living with mental illness, substance use disorder, or other chronic health conditions. Clients have been able to utilize phones to connect to services, set appointments, and stay in touch with care teams.