As a child, Ben came from a hard place. His parents divorced when he was very young. Not long after his mother remarried, he became the victim of repeated abuse at the hands of his step-father. As with most abuse, it was shrouded in secrecy and shame. As he approached the age of majority, Ben became estranged from his mother, driven by the anger he harbored for her failure to protect him. He carried the weight of secrecy, shame, and trauma into adulthood – over time, he developed obsessive-compulsive behaviors, experienced high levels of anxiety, and grew more and more depressed. By his early 40’s, he suffered his first heart attack. Today, at the age of 47 and on partial disability, he’s a father of a teenage son, who recently enrolled in college – all of Ben’s financial resources go to supporting him. Ben is enrolled in Medicare Part A (which does not pay for outpatient care) and does not qualify for TennCare, nor can he afford the more costly plans. Simply, Ben is underinsured. His growing mental health needs led him to Ridgeview’s door, where he began therapy to work through his complex trauma history and, ultimately, reconcile with his mother. Ben’s road of recovery and healing continues to unfold. In addition to therapy, Ben needed a psychiatric assessment and medication evaluation as part of his treatment. Had it not been for the critical funding of the United Way Indigent Psychiatric Medication Management Program (IPMMP), Ben would not have received the full complement of psychiatric care he needed. IPMMP allows Ben to receive the psychiatric care needed to maintain his path toward healing and, ultimately, his hope of reconciling with his mother. The IPMMP fills the gap for the uninsured and underinsured like Ben. United Way funding is an essential bridge that allows individuals to envision a brighter, healthier future.