Access to mental health care changes everything.

When donors like you ensure mental health needs are met, families stabilize, workplaces strengthen, and communities flourish.

A gift of just $30 a month is enough to provide a child with mental health support in their school.

MAKE AN IMPACT

Join a community impacting the lives of over 48,000 individuals each year.

When you give to Frontier Health Foundation, your investment directly funds mental health care in rural communities across East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Together, we’re working toward a region where stigma is erased, individuals recover, and families heal. Our monthly donors, Impact Makers, bring this vision to life, one service at a time.

Rooted in the communities we serve.

With 65 locations across 12 counties, Frontier Health is strategically placed throughout East TN and SW VA to address the unique needs of each community. We believe, access to care should never depend on where you live.

Ready when communities need us most.

Your support gives us the flexibility to act fast, whether that means rapidly responding with emergency care, expanding outreach, or creating new programs where needs are greatest.

Twelve Areas of Impact

1

Virginia’s Place

2

Hurricane Helene Long Term Recovery

3

Evidence-Based Trainings

4

SAFE House

5

Co-Response Program

6

School-Based Services

7

Urgent Care Program

8

Midland in Kingsport

9

988 Call Center

10

Therapeutic Foster Care

11

Virginia Substance Abuse IOP

12

Frontier Health Foundation

What our donors are saying…

Dr. Deb Joyner

Dr. Deb Joyner

“I have heard countless stories of individuals that have shared their struggles with behavioral health issues dealing with stress, anxiety, abuse, and family crisis. Frontier Health is a lifeline for our regional community, fully encompassing, children, families, and individuals by helping them heal and thrive. Knowing that Frontier Fealth services are comprehensive and woven into our regional community through our schools and organization is a comfort. They recently mobilized units of therapists and support staff to go out to a flood ravaged region of our community to help support first responders, children, and teachers in the community school and those who had lost loved ones to the flood. I’m glad to support and be part of such a service organization that provides accessible care, crisis response, and trains their staff and team members to treat every client as special.”

Badget Text

Virginia’s Place

Virginia’s Place is the first program of its kind in Tennessee. This long-term residential re-entry home for men living with severe mental illness who are transitioning from incarceration back into the community.

For the 18 residents who live here, Virginia’s Place is far more than housing. It’s a safe, stable, and structured environment where they receive around-the-clock support, consistent care, and the chance to rebuild their lives with dignity. Residents work closely with trained staff and case managers to develop daily living skills, strengthen their mental health, access medical and rehabilitation services, and connect with employment and community resources.

Many of the men who enter Virginia’s Place have cycled through homelessness, jail, or crisis services because they never had access to the mental health support they needed. This program breaks that cycle. With long-term stability, compassionate care, and meaningful connection, residents can focus on healing, building resilience, and moving toward independence.

Without Virginia’s Place, most residents would return to unstable housing, untreated mental health conditions, and a high risk of re-arrest. With it, they gain safety, support, and the opportunity to write a different story grounded in recovery and belonging.

Your support helps ensure that these men have a real second chance rooted in hope, structure, and community.

 

Learn More
Badget Text

Hurricane Helene Long Term Recovery

When Hurricane Helene struck, it damaged homes and shook the emotional foundation of our entire community. For many survivors, the trauma didn’t end when the storm passed. The grief, fear, and instability continued long after the headlines faded.

Frontier Health’s Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts ensured that no one had to navigate that aftermath alone. Over the past year, our crisis counselors and case managers have provided:

  • 219 crisis counseling sessions

  • 3,592 group counseling sessions

  • 2,070 educational and supportive contacts

Thanks to support from the East Tennessee Foundation, our teams mobilized into long-term recovery efforts which offered mental health care, emotional support, resource navigation, and compassionate presence for families trying to rebuild their lives.

Natural disasters leave invisible wounds. Your support helps us reach survivors who are still struggling with trauma, anxiety, loss, and displacement for the months and years after the event. Together, we bring stability, connection, and hope to people coping with the long tail of disaster recovery.

Learn More
Badget Text

Evidence Based Trainings

At Frontier Health, we believe healing is rooted in evidence, expertise, and compassion. Every therapist across our system is trained in at least one evidence-based practice, such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), EMDR, or RUBI (designed to support children with autism and challenging behaviors). Many are trained in multiple approaches, ensuring clients receive care that is effective, coordinated, and tailored to their needs.

Through the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model, Frontier Health invests deeply in advanced clinical training. This commitment means individuals and families have access to high-quality, research-backed support regardless of their diagnosis, background, or ability to pay.

These trainings don’t just elevate skills. They transform lives.

One student with autism was experiencing intense daily meltdowns at school, often requiring physical holds to keep him safe. After our therapist used RUBI-based de-escalation techniques and coached the family on managing behaviors, everything changed. Working alongside ABA specialists, the team created a coordinated support plan that helped the child communicate needs safely and effectively. Today, he’s no longer experiencing meltdowns at school, and he feels understood, supported, and connected.

This is the power of investing in people who care for our community every day.

Your support ensures our therapists have the tools, training, and confidence to help children, adults, and families heal with dignity.

 

Learn More
Badget Text

SAFE House

For survivors of domestic violence, safety is the first step toward healing. Safe House provides confidential emergency shelter for individuals and families fleeing abuse, offering not just protection, but a pathway forward.

Through our two shelters with 28 total beds, 120 families each year find safety, stability, and hope. Survivors and their children receive wraparound care that addresses the full scope of their needs, including case management, legal advocacy, therapy, transportation assistance, financial coaching, and support for transitional housing.

When Maria arrived at Safe House, she had little more than courage and hope. With the support of shelter staff and community partners, she received counseling, legal assistance, and financial coaching. Within two months, she had secured permanent housing, found full time employment, and began rebuilding a life where her children could finally feel safe.

Safe House does more than protect. It restores dignity, strengthens families, and helps survivors reclaim their future.

Your support makes that transformation possible.

Learn More
Badget Text

Co-Response Program

In moments of crisis, the response a person receives can change the course of their life. The Co-Response Program transforms how our community responds to mental health emergencies by placing licensed behavioral health clinicians directly alongside local law enforcement.

Our clinicians provide on scene mental health support to safely deescalate situations, assess immediate needs, and connect individuals to the right level of care. This compassionate model leads with safety, dignity, and access to treatment.

This past year alone:
• 409 individuals were diverted from arrest
• 266 people were able to complete safety planning with a Frontier Health clinician

One team member shared,
“We respond to community members in a very raw space, in immediate crisis with a need for intervention and resources. We have had a high deflection rate from arrests and have been able to refer people to inpatient services, CSU, ER, or simply connect them to the appropriate community services that best meet their needs. It has been an amazing year, and we look forward to growing the Co Response program and the relationships that make this work possible.”

Your support helps ensure that when someone is in crisis, they are met with care, not punishment. Together, we are changing how our region responds to mental health emergencies.

Learn More
Badget Text

School-Based Services

For many children, the school day is where struggles first appear and where support can make the greatest difference. Through Frontier Health’s School Based Services, students receive access to mental health care right where they already are, removing many of the barriers that often prevent families from seeking help.

This year alone, over 26,000 school based services were delivered to students across East Tennessee. Licensed therapists and student assistance counselors are embedded in schools and available throughout the school day to support students, families, and school staff. Services are collaborative, confidential, and focused on meeting each student’s unique emotional and behavioral needs.

For families facing transportation challenges, financial constraints, or packed schedules, this program often becomes the only access point to care. By bringing services directly into schools, we reach children earlier, prevent crises, strengthen academic success, and support long term emotional wellbeing.

Your investment helps ensure that students do not have to choose between learning and healing. At school, they can do both.

Learn More
Badget Text

Urgent Care Program

When mental health needs become urgent, waiting weeks for an appointment can put someone at real risk. Frontier Health’s Urgent Care Program was created to bridge the gap between routine care and emergency services, making timely support accessible when it matters most.

Since its launch, 4,622 medical services have been provided through this program. Patients can receive same day virtual access to a medical provider when they are experiencing worsening symptoms, medication lapses, or an urgent need for evaluation and support. This rapid access often prevents crises from escalating into emergency room visits or hospitalization.

By offering immediate, compassionate medical care, the Urgent Care Program helps individuals stabilize, stay on track with treatment, and feel supported during vulnerable moments.

Your investment ensures that when someone needs help now, not weeks from now, care is there.

Learn More
Badget Text

Midland in Kingsport

Location can be a powerful barrier to care. The Midland Center was intentionally placed directly across from Dobyns Bennett High School to bring critical mental health services closer to children, teens, and families in Kingsport.

Through this central location, countless children and youth can now access two new programs in Kingsport, expanding care in one of the community’s highest need areas. The Midland Center houses three essential programs under one roof:

Outpatient Psychiatric Services
The Adventure Program providing intensive outpatient services for youth ages 13 to 18
A Children’s Crisis Walk In Unit for immediate mental health support

By offering crisis care, psychiatry, and intensive outpatient services in one accessible location, the Midland Center creates a seamless path from emergency support to ongoing treatment. Families no longer have to navigate multiple locations to get the help their child needs.

Your support helps ensure that when a young person is struggling, care is close, coordinated, and compassionate.

Learn More
Badget Text

988 Call Center

In moments of deepest crisis, one call can save a life. Frontier Health’s 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Call Center, located on site at Turning Point in Johnson City, provides immediate, compassionate support to individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Last month alone, over 12,000 calls were answered by Frontier Health’s 988 team. Behind every call is a person reaching out in fear, pain, isolation, or desperation and a caring professional ready to listen, stabilize, and connect them to help.

As Sherri Feathers, Senior Vice President of Specialty Services, shared:
“At Frontier Health, we believe suicide prevention starts with open and honest conversations. We are here to provide caring and compassionate staff, ready to listen and provide needed support. Never hesitate to reach out for yourself, a friend, or a loved one who is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide.”

Your support ensures that when someone reaches for help in their darkest moment, a compassionate voice is always there to answer.

Learn More
Badget Text

Therapeutic Foster Care

For a child entering foster care, everything familiar can disappear in a moment. Frontier Health’s Therapeutic Foster Care program provides not only a safe home, but also specialized support for children who have experienced trauma, instability, or significant emotional challenges.

Since 2005, more than 1,200 children in the foster care system have been served through this program in both Tennessee and Virginia. Therapeutic Foster Care supports children in need of placement through TRACES in Tennessee and VALUES in Virginia. Placement families receive ongoing training, guidance, emotional support, and connections to critical services so they are never navigating this journey alone.

Through strong community partnerships, children are also met with comfort in tangible ways. Partnerships with United We Read and the SMILE Foster Closet provide care totes for children entering foster care that include a duffel bag, fidget toy, foster centered books, a plush item, and journaling materials to offer reassurance during an incredibly difficult transition. Additional partnerships provide medical lock boxes for foster families to create safer home environments and community education that helps reduce stigma around foster care.

Behind every placement is a network of clinicians, families, community partners, and advocates working together so children can feel safe, supported, and valued.

Your support helps transform uncertainty into stability and fear into belonging for children who deserve both.

Learn More
Badget Text

Virginia Substance Abuse IOP

Substance use among adolescents is rising, and many young people are also navigating depression, anxiety, or trauma at the same time. To meet this growing need, Virginia launched a new Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) this year for both adolescents and adults. The program provides evidence based treatment, individualized therapy, and strong family engagement to support recovery that lasts.

Designed for individuals who need more support than weekly therapy but do not require inpatient treatment, the IOP program offers intensive group therapy, individual counseling, case management, relapse prevention strategies, and coordinated care. Even in its first year, the program is already transforming lives.

In January of 2025, thirteen year old Gabby became the youngest participant in Virginia’s new IOP program. Through intensive group therapy, one on one counseling, and case management, Gabby learned coping strategies, family communication skills, and relapse prevention tools tailored specifically for youth. By the time she graduated, Gabby had achieved more than one hundred days of sobriety and became the program’s very first graduate. Today, she is thriving in school and contributing positively to her community.

Your support helps ensure that adolescents and adults in Virginia can access recovery focused care close to home, at the moment they need it most.

Learn More
Badget Text

Frontier Health Foundation

The Frontier Health Foundation is the philanthropic engine behind Frontier Health’s mission. This year, the Foundation has amplified mental health awareness, strengthened community partnerships, mobilized urgent support for families in crisis, and expanded the visibility of life changing programs across Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

From participating in major community events like FunFest, Appalachian Fair, Bristol Rhythm and Roots, the Unicoi Apple Festival, and TriPride, to outreach days across our region, the Foundation has worked to bring conversations about mental health into the open. We have continued to deepen relationships with local businesses, nonprofits, civic partners, and community leaders who believe that everyone deserves access to care without judgment or barriers.

Recently, the Foundation also stepped in when SNAP benefits were put on hold, providing more than 500 food boxes to Frontier Health clients and families who suddenly found themselves without support. When needs arise, the Foundation responds with compassion, urgency, and community backing.

Every dollar, every partnership, and every act of generosity fuels programs that save lives, strengthen families, and bring hope to people who need it most. The Foundation is where stigma meets action and where community belief becomes real impact.

Learn More
Badget Text

Dr. Deb Joyner

I have heard countless stories of individuals that have shared their struggles with behavioral health issues dealing with stress, anxiety, abuse, and family crisis. Frontier Health is a lifeline for our regional community, fully encompassing, children, families, and individuals by helping them heal and thrive. Knowing that Frontier Fealth services are comprehensive and woven into our regional community through our schools and organization is a comfort.
They recently mobilized units of therapists and support staff to go out to a flood ravaged region of our community to help support first responders, children, and teachers in the community school and those who had lost loved ones to the flood.
I’m glad to support and be part of such a service organization that provides accessible care, crisis response, and trains their staff and team members to treat every client as special.
Button