Kane County, Illinois, has been awarded an amazing $200,000 to be put toward children’s mental health services. This grant was given by the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation, an organization that helps to improve the lives of countless families in Kane County.

Through an expansion of the foundation’s efforts and higher levels of engagement, the county has hired two new members for its health department. With the new members, the health department in Illinois hopes to drop the number of emergency room visits caused by issues with mental health by 5% before 2021.

One individual was hired as the new program manager who will direct the flow of communication between those providing mental health care and treatment and the department. The other is a navigator who works with families coping with mental issues in order to provide assistance and other resources.

These efforts by the department of health in Illinois are vital to improving the lives of children facing illness, both mentally and physically. When nearly 94% of children have received the polio vaccine by 35 months old, similar combative efforts are a necessity for the mental health district.

Countless families in Illinois have been torn apart because they did not have the means to take care of their children. One pair of adoptive parents had to relinquish custody of their child to the state in order to get their son the mental treatment he desperately needed.

“Today, despite a 2015 Illinois law that states families should never have to trade custody for mental health treatment, at least four children a month enter state custody this way, according to data obtained by Side Effects,” reported the Illinois Newsroom.

Mental health in children is often overlooked due to a variety of factors. Insufficient means to care for the children affected is only one part of a much larger issue.

According to a recent study conducted by WalletHub, there are 10 states that are listed among the best for children’s health care, including physical health and mental health. Starting from the best in the state, the list includes; Vermont, D.C., Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and California.

For vaccines and other resources, luckily there are around 12 million trucks, locomotives, and other forms of major transport designed to carry these goods between states.

The Kane County Community Health Improvement Plan seeks to improve resource availability to residents suffering from mental health and substance abuse throughout the state. As of now, the county may be eligible to receive another $2.1 million over the course of the next six years in the event the planning goals are met for the year.