WHAS Crusade for Children Awards $23,000 Grant to OneQuest Health for Rural Youth Mental Health Services

COVINGTON, KY, UNITED STATES, July 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A new grant from the WHAS Crusade for Children is paving an easier path to mental health support for teenagers living in rural parts of the Northern Bluegrass region. OneQuest Health has been awarded a three-year, $23,000 grant from the Crusade to directly expand vital therapy and telehealth services for youth ages 12 to 17 in Carroll, Grant, Owen, and adjacent counties.

The funding arrives at a critical moment for the Commonwealth’s heavily strained healthcare system. Proactive mental healthcare is increasingly difficult to access in rural communities, leaving families with few options during a crisis.

“The treatment gap for Kentuckians with mental health, behavioral health, and substance use disorders is staggering,” said Rick Wurth, CEO of OneQuest Health. “Currently, 3.4 million Kentuckians live in an area where there is a shortage of mental health providers.”

While the national average sits at one mental health provider for 290 residents*, local rural shortages paint a much starker picture:

• Carroll County: 1 provider for every 1,360 residents
• Grant County: 1 provider for every 1,150 residents
• Owen County: 1 provider for every 2,860 residents

These local shortages force many families to travel long distances for face-to-face care or forgo treatment entirely.

Local educators and emergency departments report a steady increase in young people experiencing acute mental health crises. Across the state, more teenagers are reporting prolonged periods of severe depression and anxiety, leading to a rise in school-based referrals and emergency room visits for self-harm and suicide attempts.

Left untreated, behavioral and substance use disorders limit a child’s development, academic success, and future well-being. However, healthcare experts emphasize that early intervention is highly effective. By expanding local access to telehealth and in-person counseling, this grant aims to help rural youth build emotional wellness, improve their relationships, and transition into healthy adult lives.

Expanding the Footprint of Care

OneQuest Health, formerly known as CHNK Behavioral Health, carries a nearly 150-year legacy of evolving to meet the state’s most pressing healthcare challenges. The organization has actively worked to position providers directly within underserved communities, including opening the Griffin Outpatient Center in Williamstown and embedding dedicated school-based services across regional districts.

This rural expansion aligns with OneQuest Health’s accelerating statewide growth, which recently reached the Louisville market. The organization is celebrating the grand opening of its first outpatient mental health office in the Medical Arts Center at 1169 Eastern Parkway on July 8, expanding care access for residents of Jefferson and surrounding counties.

While the WHAS Crusade for Children grant is strictly earmarked to fund therapy and telehealth for youth in the rural Northern Bluegrass counties, OneQuest Health’s expanding safety-net network ensures that low-income, uninsured, or Medicaid-reliant families across the Commonwealth have an easier path to care.

To learn more about regional mental health care availability or to support OneQuest Health’s expansion, visit onequesthealth.org.

*Per County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 9/24/25, https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/health-data

About OneQuest Health
OneQuest Health is dedicated to transforming America’s health by championing a proactive, integrated approach to physical and mental well-being. Built on the nearly 150-year legacy of CHNK Behavioral Health, OneQuest Health empowers individuals and communities to move beyond reactive care, fostering healthier, more resilient lives through a scalable, sustainable, and empathy-driven system of care. For fiscal year 2026, OneQuest Health, is on track to perform 50,000 treatment services, representing 7,000 client impacts across Kentucky and parts of Ohio and Indiana.

Rick Wurth
OneQuest Health
+1 859-292-4177
email us here
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