Sarbanes Announces $9.7 Million Federal Grant to Help Reduce Youth Violence in Maryland

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today announced nearly $10 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support youth behavioral development programs and offer mental health services to students in Baltimore, Dorchester and Somerset county school systems.

As part of the Now is the Time Project AWARE grants, this new funding will help train Maryland teachers to recognize signs of mental health issues among students and to better interact with students who suffer from mental illness. The grants will also help connect students and their families with mental health programs and services in the state.

"Offering behavioral development and mental health programs to students is an important step in reducing youth violence in Maryland and across the country," said Congressman Sarbanes. "Maryland boasts one of the best public education systems in the nation, and this grant will help our state become a leader in youth mental health services as well."

For more information about the Now is the Time Project AWARE grants, visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/wh_now_is_the_time_full.pdf.

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