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Will County Community Mental Health Board awards grants and commits funding for countywide "Connect Will County" navigation program
Summary
The Community Mental Health Board reported serving roughly 19,000 residents via grant-funded programs in 2025, announced 2026 awards, and committed subrecipient funding to a countywide behavioral-health navigation effort led initially by the Joliet Fire Department to link residents to appointments and follow-up care.
At Wednesday's meeting the Will County Community Mental Health Board presented its quarterly report and a slate of 2026 grant awards and described a new countywide care-navigation initiative.
Tina Mackey, the board's presenter, summarized the 2025 grant cycle: about 19,000 residents were served directly by competitive grantees; adding the Will County Health Department's behavioral-health caseload brings the count to about 26,000 residents served during the grant year. Mackey said the board is emphasizing early-intervention and prevention in 2026 and that grant awards include funding for gap services, emergency funding and operating support.
The board committed subrecipient funding to a program Mackey described as "Connect Will County," modeled on the Joliet Fire Department's Community Cares pilot. Under the program a trained social worker or navigator answers a countywide phone line, conducts a brief assessment and helps the caller secure an appointment rather than merely providing a referral. Mackey said the approach includes active follow-up (phone calls and, when necessary, in-person outreach) to increase appointment completion and reduce emergency calls for mental-health crises.
Mackey said several fire departments (Joliet, Lockport, Plainfield, Troy Township, Beecher) have agreed to participate in the initial rollout; the Joliet Fire Department will help stand up the program and the board expects the Health Department to assume operation if the effort scales.
Board members asked about monitoring and reimbursement, and Mackey described an aggressive oversight approach: the grants are primarily reimbursement-based, staff conducts site visits and document reviews, and payments are made after expense documentation is submitted. She said unspent 2025 funds (roughly $300,000, about 6% of the grant pool) could be rolled into 2026 awards for applicants that were initially incomplete but otherwise align with priorities.
Several members raised concerns about a particular Wheatland Township grant that funds services in multiple District 202 schools, noting the contract had not been fully executed and that some residents objected to a township executing school-based programming. Mackey said the contract was not executed and that the board could revisit scope and venue before final reimbursement; she reiterated grants are reimbursement-based and require evidence of partnership with implementing sites.
What happens next: awarded grantees will finalize contracts; the board will monitor implementation and reimburse grantees against documented expenses. The board committed funding to Connect Will County and said it will review operations and potentially transition administration to the county's Health Department as the program matures.
Representative quote: "We're not just giving a phone number and saying 'good luck.' We're helping to facilitate the appointment, helping to facilitate follow-up," Mackey said of Connect Will County.
Local impact: If the navigation line and warm-handoff system reduce emergency calls for mental-health crises and increase engagement with outpatient services, the county could see reduced EMS utilization and improved access for underserved populations.
