Morrow Valley Farmstead, a program being developed by non-profit provider GHA Autism Supports in Albemarle, was selected to receive funding in the form of a $38,000 grant through Cardinal Innovations Healthcare’s Community Reinvestment Initiative.
Through the Morrow Valley Farmstead program, GHA will create specialized long-term medical care for aging individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities who require 24-hour medical care in a program designed to specifically meet their needs.
The first generation of children diagnosed with autism in the 1940s and 1950s are now becoming older adults. Autism is a life-long condition, but the majority of research, funding, services and information focuses on children with autism.
The 10-bed facility will be on Morrow Mountain Road in Albemarle.
Cardinal Innovations created the Community Reinvestment Initiative as a way to make stable, sustainable investments across its 20-county service area.
Through this initiative, Cardinal asked organizations to submit proposals for programs that would improve health outcomes for its members with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders.
“The goal of this effort was to identify and fund high-impact projects in our communities,” said Cardinal Innovations Chief Executive Officer Trey Sutten. “We could not have been more pleased with the number of responses and the broad range of requests we received from organizations throughout our geography. We received so many innovative proposals that we actually made the decision to go beyond our original commitment — funding more than $4 million in projects. It’s an investment in our members, providers and communities that is right in line with our mission.”
During the three-month submission period ending May 1, Cardinal received hundreds of proposals from entities and organizations across its service area of Alamance, Cabarrus, Caswell, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Orange, Person, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes, Union, Vance and Warren counties.
Per the submission requirements, proposals were accepted from municipalities, counties, public school systems, colleges and universities as well as other qualifying nonprofits.
Projects were selected for funding through a comprehensive process that included reviews by members of a cross-departmental evaluation committee as well as reviews by the Cardinal Innovations Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors, followed by approval by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.