South Bend's Memorial Hospital gets $2 million grant to help traumatized children

The South Bend hospital, which announced the grant Wednesday, will team up with community partners to launch the "Community Resilience Center" research project. The project will test the effectiveness of different approaches to combat unhealthy behaviors among minority and disadvantaged youth.

The hospital, part of Beacon Health System, was among seven organizations nationwide to be awarded funding from a new grant program called "Communities Addressing Childhood Trauma," launched by the Office of Minority Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The hospital's community health enhancement division will develop the program by partnering with the city's Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, Michiana Family YMCA, University of Notre Dame, Oaklawn Psychiatric Center and Salvation Army Kroc Center.

During a press conference at the hospital, Beacon Health System CEO Phil Newbold said the program calls for conducting research that will discover new approaches for improving the lives of traumatized children.