Direct Relief, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics and Teva Pharmaceuticals Partner to Advance Access to Behavioral Health Services

Direct Relief, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC), and Teva Pharmaceuticals today launched a new program to expand medication access and provide grant funding to free and charitable clinics that care for medically underserved patients suffering from depression and/or anxiety. Teva is providing free and charitable clinics with $2 million in grant funding over two years and making available, on a charitable basis, a portfolio of commonly used generic medications that treat depression and anxiety. The new pilot program – initially set in Florida, New Jersey and California – aims to advance access to mental health care for uninsured populations.

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"Access to mental health care is critical yet distributed unevenly across the U.S.," said Thomas Tighe, CEO and President of Direct Relief. "Direct Relief is joining NAFC and Teva Pharmaceuticals in supporting community-based facilities to extend mental health care for those most in need."

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated access to adequate health services and mental health care needs. The new initiative will help address mental health access through a two-pronged approach to care: medication donations and community grants for free and charitable clinics, to help address key equity issues and advance quality care for underserved populations.

Products will be available to free and charitable clinics and pharmacies in Direct Relief's network. NAFC will help identify and evaluate programs eligible for grants and facilitate a community of learning between grantee clinics.

"Free and Charitable Clinics are beacons in their communities where access to affordable prescription medications and flexible funding resources are obstacles faced every day," said Nicole Lamoureux, President and CEO of NAFC. "With this program, we hope to reduce barriers to care for underserved populations by working with grantees to identify innovative, scalable ideas and approaches that enhance mental and behavioral health care access, particularly as the pandemic continues to spotlight severe inequities in care."

Expanding Access and Delivering Care

Anxiety and depression disorders affect more than 40 million adults in the U.S. every year. Additionally, 84 percent of physicians reported an increase in new diagnoses of mental health conditions since the pandemic began, especially among racial and ethnic minorities and lower-income households, according to a recent nationwide survey by the Morehouse School of Medicine and Teva.