Grants & Funded Projects

Principal Investigator: Ms. Mary Grace  |  Funder: SAMHSA (through Mississippi Department of Mental Health)

Healthy Transitions is the primary source of funding for the MSU Behavioral Health Clinic, which is directed by Dr. Nadorff. Awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, the grant is led day-to-day by our team at Mississippi State University under the direction of Ms. Mary Grace.

The program provides mental health and behavioral health services to young people across the entire state of Mississippi who are between the ages of 16 and 25 and who are at risk of, or are already experiencing, serious mental illness or co-occurring substance use issues. A recent and important update: the program has expanded its eligibility criteria, and young people no longer need to be out of work or school to qualify. Any Mississippi resident in this age range who could benefit from our services is encouraged to reach out.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Michael R. Nadorff  |  Award: $700,000 from the Mississippi Opioid Settlement Fund

Our team has been awarded $700,000 from the Mississippi Opioid Settlement Fund to address the opioid crisis across Mississippi through a three-part approach. First, we are providing outpatient treatment for individuals struggling with opioid use disorder or other substance use issues. Services are available in person in Starkville and via telehealth statewide, so that people who cannot travel or cannot take time away from work and family can still access care.

Second, we are training members of the public, particularly those who are likely to witness an overdose, on how to administer naloxone, the medication that can reverse an opioid overdose and save a life. We are also distributing doses of naloxone to those we train. Third, we are conducting statewide outreach through media partnerships to educate the public about opioid safety, the risks of opioid misuse, and how to get help. We expect our outreach efforts to reach more than 50,000 Mississippians.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Ashley Jones  |  Funder: SAMHSA (through Mississippi Department of Mental Health)

Psychosis is a serious condition that can disrupt a person's ability to think clearly, connect with others, and function in daily life. Researchers and clinicians have identified a state called "clinical high risk for psychosis" (CHR-P) in which adolescents and young adults show early warning signs that, with the right intervention, may be treated before a full episode of psychosis develops. Until now, Mississippi had no specialized services for this population.

Funded by SAMHSA through the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, this grant is establishing the Center for Behavioral Health Screening, Outreach, Assessment, and Resilience (CBH-SOAR) Clinic at the University of Southern Mississippi. The project is led by Dr. Ashley Jones at USM, and our MSU team is proud to be a partner in bringing this critical early-intervention resource to the state.

Project Lead: Dr. Dustin Sarver (University of Mississippi Medical Center)  |  Funder: SAMHSA

Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) is a SAMHSA-funded initiative led by Dr. Dustin Sarver at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The goal of the project is to improve mental health awareness, access to care, and crisis response in schools across Mississippi. Our team at MSU is a key partner, contributing expertise in suicide prevention and postvention.

Specifically, our role involves providing suicide prevention and postvention trainings to school staff and communities, helping school districts develop and strengthen their crisis response protocols, and responding directly to schools in the aftermath of a suicide to provide postvention support. Postvention refers to the structured response that follows a suicide, helping students, staff, and families grieve and heal while also working to prevent additional deaths.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Michael R. Nadorff  |  Day-to-Day Lead: Ms. Rebecca Kimbrough  |  Funder: SAMHSA

The Mental Health Awareness Training grant has been one of our most far-reaching training programs. Funded by SAMHSA, this grant was designed to improve how Mississippians recognize, respond to, and support people experiencing mental health challenges. A special emphasis has been placed on reaching first responders, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, corrections staff, and military veterans, who regularly encounter people in mental health crises but may not always have the training to respond most effectively.

Through this grant, our team has provided trainings on mental health awareness, de-escalation strategies, and how to connect people with appropriate care. We have also offered trainings on self-care and stress management, recognizing that those in high-demand roles are themselves at risk for burnout and mental health struggles. Dr. Nadorff serves as the PI on the grant, and Ms. Rebecca Kimbrough is the primary person running the day-to-day operations. We are in our final year of funding for this grant.

Principal Investigator: Ms. Bobbie Jo Bensaid  |  Funder: Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

Now in its seventh year, the Drug Free Communities grant is one of the longest-running funded projects our team has been involved in. Supported by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, this grant works to prevent youth substance use in the Starkville and Oktibbeha County area by strengthening community coalitions, expanding prevention programming, and reaching young people before substance use begins or escalates.

The project is built around the Mississippi Coalition of Partners in Prevention (MCPP) and the MSU Collegiate Recovery Community, which together bring together universities, local schools, community organizations, and students to address substance use at multiple levels. Current PI Ms. Bobbie Jo Bensaid leads the day-to-day work of the grant. Our involvement in this grant reflects our belief that prevention is most powerful when it is driven by and rooted in the community itself.