Supplemental funding helps 11 free & charitable clinics and charitable pharmacies expand mental health care and reach more patients in underserved communities
April 14, 2026 08:00 ET | Source: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. and PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Direct Relief, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) today announced a second round of grant funding in the amount of $75,000 to each of 11 free and charitable clinics across Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. Originally launched in 2022 with an initial $2 million funding, in 2024, Teva committed an additional $2 million to support behavioral health services at selected free and charitable clinics for 2025 and 2026.
During 2025, these grantee programs reached more than 57,000 people with mental health services and conducted nearly 6,000 screenings for depression and anxiety, demonstrating significant impact in expanding access to behavioral health care for uninsured and underserved populations. Now in its fourth year, Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care continues to address the critical need for expanded mental health services in medically underserved communities.
“At Teva, we’re driven by the conviction that everyone deserves access to a healthy future. These clinics have shown that integrating mental health services into trusted primary care settings is both effective and essential for reaching people who otherwise have nowhere to turn,” said Carol Richardson, Sustainability and Health Equity Lead, Teva U.S. “Motivated by deep compassion for people living with mental health conditions, supporting patients, their families and these clinics through this grant reflects Teva’s purpose in practice.”
Recognizing the strong impact and ongoing need, Teva Pharmaceuticals is providing a second round of funding to each of the 11 clinics. This support will help clinics expand counseling, extend service hours, improve telehealth, and boost outreach. The clinics, located in Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas, have added mental health screening and counseling to primary care and pharmacy visits, which has helped reduce stigma and increase patient participation. All programs met or exceeded their goals—completing nearly 6,000 depression and anxiety screenings, training over 260 providers, and delivering culturally sensitive care to people facing barriers to mental health services.
Key successes include:
- Adding mental health services to regular doctor visits and pharmacy services helped reduce shame. More patients felt comfortable getting help.
- Using simple screening during routine checkups helped clinics identify people who needed mental health support earlier.
- Telehealth made it easier for patients to speak with providers when they couldn’t travel to appointments or had scheduling problems.
- Working with universities, mental health specialists, and community groups helped clinics serve more patients and connect them to the right services.
- Reducing the stigma around mental health resulted in patients feeling comfortable to seek care.
- Offering mental health support at pharmacies created a new way to reach uninsured patients in places they already trust.
“Free and charitable clinics serve as trusted healthcare homes for uninsured populations, making them ideal settings for behavioral health integration,” said Nicole Lamoureux, NAFC President & CEO. “This program has proven that when we invest in these clinics’ capacity to deliver mental health services, patients engage, outcomes improve, and communities benefit. The additional funding will help sustain and expand these proven models.”
Clinics navigated significant challenges, including demand that exceeded capacity, requiring careful attention to sustainable implementation rather than rapid expansion. Housing instability, transportation barriers, and language access issues required coordinated navigation support. Policy changes affecting some communities led to decreased clinic visits even as mental health service demand remained high, underscoring the importance of trust-building and cultural responsiveness during periods of community stress.
“Access to mental health care depends not only on need, but on sustained resources and community-based partnerships,” said Katie Lewis, Regional Director of U.S. Programs for Direct Relief. “These clinics are expanding equitable, culturally responsive services and this funding will help them reach the people who need it most.”
2025 Community Routes Grantees Results:
Alabama:
- Medical Outreach Ministries (Montgomery)
- Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy (Mobile)
- St. Michael’s Medical Clinic (Anniston)
Mississippi:
- Bethel Free Clinic, Inc. (Biloxi)
Texas:
- Brother Bill’s Helping Hand (Dallas)
- Heal the City Free Clinic (Amarillo)
- Health for All (Bryan)
- Ibn Sina Foundation (Houston)
- The Agape Clinic (Dallas)
- Mercy Clinic of Fort Worth (Fort Worth)
- Woven Health Clinic (Farmers Branch)
Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care is a collaboration between Teva, Direct Relief, and NAFC that addresses mental health access barriers in underserved communities. Since its 2022 launch, the initiative has provided medication donations across 10 states and grant funding to 22 clinics, reaching more than 120,000 beneficiaries through its first three years.
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About Direct Relief
Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies. Learn more at DirectRelief.org.
About National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics
NAFC is the only nonprofit 501c (3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of the medically underserved and the more than 1,400 Free and Charitable Clinics that serve them. Founded in 2001 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., NAFC works to ensure the medically underserved have access to affordable quality health care. For more information, visit www.nafcclinics.org.
About Teva
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) is transforming into a leading innovative biopharmaceutical company, enabled by a world-class generics business. For over 120 years, Teva’s commitment to bettering health has never wavered. From innovating in the fields of neuroscience and immunology to providing complex generic medicines, biosimilars and pharmacy brands worldwide, Teva is dedicated to addressing patients’ needs, now and in the future. At Teva, We Are All In For Better Health. To learn more about how, visit www.tevapharm.com.
