Rep. Cleaver Highlights Local Impact of $2.5 Million in Community Project Funding for University Health

(Kansas City, MO) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) hosted a press conference to highlight the $2.5 million in Community Project Funding he was able to secure to create a state-of-the-art substance use treatment center in the heart of Kansas City's UMKC Health Sciences District. The Center for Recovery and Wellness is one of ten community projects Congressman Cleaver championed and was able to secure federal funding for that will directly benefit residents of the Fifth Congressional District.

"I am incredibly thankful to have secured $2.5 million in Community Project Funding for University Health – an institution that is fully focused on strengthening the communities it serves," said Congressman Cleaver. "This significant federal funding will not only bring The Center for Recovery and Wellness to life, creating a space for those receiving help to feel empowered, it will also equip health care leaders of the future with the necessary experience and knowledge needed to compassionately care for individuals and families and aid in the treatment and prevention of substance use disorders."

"Congressman Cleaver's work in securing funding for this project is just what we need to kick off a campaign that will make this renovation a reality. He understands how mental and physical health go hand in hand, and how a center like the one we plan on building can change not only the people who get help, but their families, and their community," said Charlie Shields, University Health President and CEO. "The Center for Recovery and Wellness will allow University Health to double its provider team, and expose medical providers of the future to effective interventions for the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders."

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Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is available here.