KNOXVILLE - The McNabb Center was awarded a five-year, nearly $2.5 million grant to provide supported employment services to individuals seeking treatment for substance use disorder. The grant program, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is intended to implement evidence-based programs to support individuals in substance use disorder treatment and recovery to live independently and participate in the workforce.

“We know that obtaining employment helps individuals maintain their recovery journey,” said Michael Waltke, McNabb Center’s senior director of adult outpatient mental health and recovery services. “Through this grant we will be able to support clients in developing job skills and find and keep their job.”

This service will be offered to individuals active in the Center’s existing intensive outpatient treatment programs. The goal is to help people who have a substance use disorder diagnosis quickly obtain employment and then maintain employment.



The McNabb Center will hire four employment specialists who will serve Anderson, Blount, Hamblen, Hamilton, Knox, McMinn and Sevier Counties.

The McNabb Center is the region’s leading nonprofit provider of mental health, substance use, social and victim services. By focusing on an individual’s “Well Mind, Well Being,” we provide a quality and compassionate approach to care from infancy through adulthood. Since 1948, the Center has proudly served individuals with the most needs and fewest resources. Today, the McNabb Center delivers support to more than 30,000 people throughout East Tennessee each year. For more information, visit www.mcnabbcenter.org.