Melissa Grove
Legacy Counseling Center has received a $100,000 grant from the Meadows Foundation for its walk-in mental health and substance abuse clinic. The grant is the largest Meadows has given to an AIDS organization since a 2010 grant to AIDS Arms for its new Trinity Clinic.
Because of the success of the new clinic, Legacy ran a deficit most of last year. This grant allows the clinic to continue operating through this year and eliminate the shortfall.
Legacy’s walk-in service was initially intended to operate only during the holidays in December 2011. But when the agency had an influx of new clients, it decided to make the walk-in clinic a permanent new service.
Dallas County Health and Human Services regularly sends people it has newly diagnosed to the walk-in clinic.
Legacy Counseling Executive Director Melissa Grove called the grant “important and forward thinking.”
She said that mental health and substance abuse issues are essential because of the impact on medication adherence and health outcomes and slowing the spread of the virus by learning to disclose HIV status to others.
“Thanks to the Meadows Foundation grant, no one will be turned away who needs our care because it is important to assist people at the very moment they seek help,” Grove said.
The Legacy walk-in clinic is open Mon.–Thurs. 9 a.m.–4 p.m., and Fri. 9 a.m.–noon. 214-520-6308 ext. 302 for an appointment or contact the agency’s 24-hour crisis hotline at 214-207-3953 in case of an emergency.