Porter-Starke Services Awarded $5,000 Grant to Help Starke County Residents Access Health Care

Posted on May 3, 2019
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI

Porter-Starke Services hopes to make it easier for people with opioid use disorder to get the health care they need. The mental health organization recently got a $5,000 grant through Kankakee Valley REMC’s Operation Round Up program. It plans to use that money specifically in Starke County.

The funding will help with the coordination of patients’ physicals, health histories, and follow-up appointments, according to a Kankakee Valley REMC press release. Porter-Starke officials say the best way to do that is to have a primary care doctor who’s familiar with the person’s circumstances and medications. That’s why primary care appointments are so important for those working through recovery. Megan Fisher, the director of medication-assisted treatment programs at Porter-Starke, says the funding will help the organization encourage clients to address any physical health issues.

Operation Round Up is funded by Kankakee Valley REMC members who choose to have their monthly bills rounded up to the next dollar. A volunteer board of directors then uses that money to award grants to local community organizations.