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McLean County funds community behavioral health programs and renews EMDR training for clinicians
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Summary
The Executive Committee approved emergent and FY2026 NOFO awards totaling more than $1.5 million across behavioral health providers and authorized a contract to repeat EMDR training for roughly 100 clinicians to expand local treatment capacity.
The McLean County Executive Committee approved awards from both an emergent Q1 2026 notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and the larger FY2026 NOFO to support community behavioral health services facing unexpected funding losses. Staff said the awards are funded from the county’s shared sales tax.
Behavioral Health Coordination recommended four emergent awards (The Baby Fold; YouthBuild; Boys & Girls Club; Children’s Home & Aid) to sustain crisis response, case management and supportive services. For the larger FY2026 NOFO the department recommended distributing $1,550,000 among seven agencies after reviewing 11 submissions.
Why it matters: County officials said these awards fund crisis response, intensive family-support services and programs designed to keep children out of courtrooms. Staff emphasized reporting requirements—monthly or quarterly metrics—and community evaluation informed selections.
Training and workforce development: The committee also approved a contract with Scaling Up LLC to provide EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) training for about 100 clinicians this summer. Assistant director Samantha Harrell said last year’s training reached about 100 clinicians and generated “overwhelming” positive feedback; the county expects similar demand and has an interest list for professionals.
Quotes and safeguards: Behavioral Health staff said each NOFO applicant provided performance metrics and reporting will include attendance, participation and other outcome measures. Staff also told the committee that where construction-related grants are involved, committees will monitor compliance with prevailing wage rules.
Outcome: Committee approved both the emergent awards and the FY2026 slate, with a separate vote taken for one Lifelong Access award at a member’s request. The EMDR training contract was approved with payment tied to seats filled (county pays only for attendees who register).
