ST. Luke's penn foundation ccbhc project - ST

Luke's penn foundation will build capacity in behavioral health services across the upper bucks and eastern montgomery county region by certifying an existing community behavioral health center (CBHC) and expanding integrated services. Supported by ten objectives, goals include increasing access to the care continuum, building team-based care for adults with SMI in outpatient ccbhc settings, and improving transitions of care. The project is based on 65 years' experience of meeting community needs and providing care to the target populations. The target populations are 1) adults and children with serious mental illness (SMI), with specific focus on individuals living with SMI and CO-occurring physical health issues, namely diabetes and cardiovascular disease; 2) transition-age youth (TAY), especially those with first episode psychosis; and 3) individuals struggling with substance use. To meet community need, the project will connect individuals seeking services to care whether they are entering the system through crisis or other community access points. During the grant period, 8,000 individuals will be served the first year and 9,600 in the second. Strategies include creation of centralized virtual access, in addition to traditional access points for referrals from crisis services, medical providers, or the community. Intake staff will receive clinical oversight and training in suicide prevention and trauma-informed care. Veterans will receive focused support and navigation. Integrated team-based care in the behavioral health clinic builds multidisciplinary teams to address social determinants of health, target physical health, and support the SMI population with holistic care after transition from higher levels of care. Special attention will also be paid to tobacco cessation efforts. Those struggling with substance use will receive focused health screenings and expanded access to medication assisted treatment (mat) in primary care. ST. Luke's is a regional, not-for-profit network of 12 hospitals and 300+ outpatient sites. The newest entity in the ST. Luke's network, ST. Luke's penn foundation, headquartered in sellersville, PA, the CBHC for this geographic region, has a care continuum including mental health, substance use, and psychiatric rehab services across the lifespan. As a joined organization, the strength and stability of the ST. Luke's network coupled with the expertise of ST. Luke's penn foundation make the proposed project ideal to certify the CBHC, expanding services to target populations in the identified region.