The Heritage Behavioral Health Center has received from the Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation to help add more staff and provide additional training opportunities to their staff.

Jessica Smiley is the Project Director for Community Together says this grant centers around collaborating to provide additional support for youth and families.

According to Smiley, they wanted to build overall wellness in DeWitt and Macon Counties through collaborations with numerous local agencies. She explains they wanted to get to kids sooner and get them screened and then get them connected to services they might need.

Smiley explains they wanted to focus on kids ages 0-5 and the LGBTQ community. She notes they have over 20 partners on board and the grant will cover six years for over two million dollars.

Some of the community partners in the two counties include Big Brothers Big Sisters, YMCA, St. Mary's Hospital and the CASA program. Smiley says this opportunity will change the lives of the communities' youth and families for generations to come.