About Us
Grassroots Reinvestment for Optimal Wellbeing (GROW) was established in 2021 as an innovative strategy to address the escalating overdoses fatality rates of Black men and women in the metropolitan St. Louis area. This strategy is based on the belief that the people who live/work in the neighborhoods are the “on the ground” experts and it recognizes the hard work occurring by smaller community-based organizations, who are embedded and trusted in the communities they are located and serve in.
The entire GROW network participates in community education, harm reduction activities, linkage to care and wraparound support services through regular Direct and combined outreach/engagement activities in specific areas of concern. Outreaches usually including SUD provider organizations and mobile service units. The GROW network consists of grassroot organizations strategically located in neighborhoods/communities particularly impacted, along with a project director and
The entire GROW network participates in community education, harm reduction activities, linkage to care and wraparound support services through regular Direct and combined outreach/engagement activities in specific areas of concern. Outreaches usually including SUD provider organizations and mobile service units. The GROW network consists of grassroot organizations strategically located in neighborhoods/ communities particularly impacted, along with a project director and independent community health workers and health navigators who serve as independent boundary spanners.
GROW is seeking to build a local system of care with genuine partnerships between community, grassroot community organizations, behavioral health providers, recovery support providers, and culturally credible community influencers to make a difference on unacceptable disparity in overdose fatalities by race and overdose fatalities overall.
independent community health workers and health navigators who serve as independent boundary spanners.
GROW is seeking to build a local system of care with genuine partnerships between community, grassroot community organizations, behavioral health providers, recovery support providers, and culturally credible community influencers to make a difference on unacceptable disparity in overdose fatalities by race and overdose fatalities overall.
Purpose
Community partner organizations, network staff, and others will assist community members in North St. Louis City and County with substance use and/or mental health disorders, particularly opioid use disorders, in focused outreach, facilitating access to treatment, recovery support services and/or harm reduction tools and information.
Vision
Through community, focused/ led, education, advocacy and improved linkage with the community-based provider system; increase access to behavioral health services and decrease overdose and other behavioral health related fatalities.
Values
- Community led
- Collaboration
- Respect
- Compassion
- Equity
- Empowerment, human-centered, partnership based, fostering connection, strengthening relationships
Our History
Grassroots Reinvestment for Optimal Wellbeing (GROW) was established in 2021 as an innovative strategy to address the escalating overdose fatality rates of Black men and women in the metropolitan St. Louis area, which accounted for 81% of all overdose deaths among Black individuals in Missouri in 2020.