WKU News

WKU received a $100,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to lead a collaborative effort aimed at improving access to mental health services for autistic adults living in rural Kentucky. The one-year award is part of HRSA's Rural Health Network Development Planning Program, a nationwide initiative supporting the development of sustainable rural healthcare networks. WKU was one of only 10 organizations nationwide selected to receive funding through this highly competitive program.

The project, Working Together Kentucky: Network Planning for Mental Health Needs of Autistic Adults, will be led by Principal Investigator Dr. Kim Link, Director of the WKU Institute for Rural Health, and Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Christina Noel, Executive Director of the Suzanne Vitale Clinical Education Complex. Together, they will lead a collaborative partnership that includes the WKU Institute for Rural Health, the Suzanne Vitale Clinical Education Complex, CAYA (formerly Lifeskills, Inc.), Bluegrass Professional Counseling, autistic adults and their families, and other community stakeholders to develop a coordinated regional approach to improving mental health care for autistic adults across the Barren River and Pennyrile regions of Kentucky.

Although many autistic adults experience high rates of anxiety, depression, and other co-occurring mental health conditions, access to providers with autism-specific expertise remains limited in many rural communities. Through this planning grant, WKU and its partners will work together to identify gaps in services, strengthen regional collaboration, and develop a strategic plan for expanding autism-informed mental health care.

Over the course of the project, the network will:

• Establish a formal regional planning network focused on autism-informed mental healthcare.
• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of existing mental health services through provider surveys, interviews, focus groups, and geographic mapping of available resources.
• Develop a strategic action plan to guide future service expansion, workforce development, care coordination, and long-term sustainability.

The project emphasizes collaboration among healthcare providers, autism professionals, educators, community organizations, autistic adults, caregivers, and families while producing recommendations that can inform future policy and service development in rural Kentucky. By strengthening partnerships and creating a coordinated regional network, the initiative seeks to lay the foundation for future implementation funding that will expand access to high-quality, autism-informed mental healthcare.

Dr. Kim Link, Principal Investigator, said, "This planning grant represents an important opportunity to bring together organizations that share a commitment to improving the health and well-being of autistic adults in rural Kentucky. Our goal is to build a sustainable network that identifies community needs, strengthens partnerships, and creates a clear roadmap for expanding autism-informed mental health services across the region."