Project Grant H79TI088980

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Mountain States Health Alliance, doing business as Ballad Health Medical Associates, $505,885 under the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.490) on September 30, 2026.

The award funds Strong Futures Virginia, a 35-bed, co-occurring capable ASAM Level 3.1 clinically managed low-intensity residential treatment program for pregnant, postpartum, and parenting women ages 18 and older with substance use disorders. The program expands Ballad Health's existing Strong Futures model into Norton, Virginia, allowing women to receive structured residential substance use treatment while remaining with their minor children when clinically and developmentally appropriate. Core services include group therapy, individual counseling, peer support, psychoeducation, parenting support, life skills development, care coordination, recovery support, and referrals to prenatal, postpartum, pediatric, behavioral health, medical, and community-based services.

The facility will serve the Lenowisco and Cumberland Plateau Health Districts, encompassing Lee, Wise, Scott, Dickenson, Russell, Buchanan, and Tazewell Counties and the city of Norton. The service area has an estimated 181,000 residents and experiences elevated neonatal abstinence syndrome rates, overdose-related emergency department visits, overdose deaths, and opioid-related costs. Strong Futures Virginia is projected to serve 543 unduplicated individuals over the five-year performance period from October 1, 2026, through September 29, 2031, beginning with 52 individuals during the partial first year and increasing annual service capacity as the program becomes fully operational.