FY 2020 certified community behavioral health clinic expansion grants(short title: CCBHC expansion grants) - gulf bend center (GBC) serves a seven-county catchment area spanning 6,336 square miles…

FY 2020 certified community behavioral health clinic expansion grants(short title: CCBHC expansion grants) - gulf bend center (GBC) serves a seven-county catchment area spanning 6,336 square miles in rural south texas. All seven counties are designated medically undeserved areas and five of the seven are also mental health professional shortage areas. GBC is the local mental health authority and the local intellectual and developmental disability authority for our region serving clients regardless of their funding source or ability to pay. The population we serve includes those with severe and persistent mental illness, substance use disorders, and CO-occurring disorders. All interactions and service provisions are presented in a trauma-informed manner promoting safety, trust, transparency, collaboration, mutuality, empowerment, and choice among clients and staff. GBC provided 4,957 UN-duplicated services to clients age four and up in 2019. There is one additional behavioral health provider in our area providing case management, counseling, and psychiatric provider services to the insured population. One methadone clinic exists in victoria and accepts self-pay only. One entity is providing residential substance use disorder (SUD) services, primarily serving individuals involved in the criminal justice system. There is no inpatient psychiatric or substance use facility in our region. GBC is in the process of becoming a certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC) and is directly providing all nine required services. Expansion plans will increase the hours of operation for improved service accessibility to coincide with the CCBHC model of care. These plans allow for increasing telehealth locations from three to five counties improving initial and ongoing access to GBC mental health and substance use services. Additionally, increasing staff responsible for ensuring continuity of care will improve monitoring of risk factors, and the identification of referral needs to internal programs and external providers. GBC anticipates a decrease in service delivery cost with improved client outcomes as a direct result of care coordination activities and improved access to services. GBC provides client centered services using evidence-based practices that align with the texas health and human services recovery model and the samhsa CCBHC model of care.