(CARBONDALE, IL) — Communities and families in Illinois’ southernmost counties will have improved access to programs to combat chronic diseases thanks to a new $2.1 million federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The funds will support collaborations among health care providers, public health departments, schools and community organizations to use evidence-based models to address diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, stroke and behavioral health. The Illinois CATCH onto Health! Consortium has been assisting youth in the 16-county area known as the Delta Region for nearly a decade. Now, the Consortium will use the HRSA grant to expand its school-based efforts to include emotional and mental health components as a secondary focus area of the grant funding. The Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Carbondale administers the Consortium. The new grant will help schools add social and emotional health elements to their overall coordinated health efforts, including: the Signs of Suicide curriculum; bullying and character education; and training for community and school personnel in Mental Health First Aid, a national program that teaches the skills to respond to the signs of mental illness and substance use.