Eradicating barriers to mental health care for low-income residents of northern illinois: the josselyn center will expand telehealth services and close gaps by providing intensive mental health…

Eradicating barriers to mental health care for low-income residents of northern illinois: the josselyn center will expand telehealth services and close gaps by providing intensive mental health services to 1,000 unduplicated minority and/or economically disadvantaged individuals. Due to changing demographics and pandemic impacts, approximately 92,975 individuals in the center's coverage area are unserved. Population: illinois has one of the lowest medicaid-to-medicare fee ratios of any state. Josselyn's service area is suburban and rural in an area where poverty has increased significantly; 56% of metro-chicago residents below the federal poverty level reside in the suburbs. Low-income and/or minority adolescents and young adults are our sub-POF, as 55% of our covid-ERA assessments have been under age 20. Grant funds will support the first and only intensive outpatient program in our service area for the sub-POF. Interventions: our objectives are to: hire 20 new clinical staff to provide hipaa-compliant telehealth/in-person services to POF; implement an IT audit and invest in needed IT infrastructure to handle increases in clients and telehealth; provide 500 HRS. Of services to 125 clients/quarter in POF; formalize 5 referral partnerships; provide care coordination to 400 individuals via hospital/community partnerships; assess, plan, and treat 1,000 POF + 500 sub-POF through IOP; provide peer-led recovery support to 50 unduplicated individuals quarterly; provide 100+ staff up to 5 free counseling/therapy sessions through EAP; provide 70+ clinical staff 75 HRS./each of clinical supervision and/or group consultation each year; offer 100+ staff monthly wellness workshops, racial affinity groups, a diversity equity and inclusion strategic plan, and mental health first aid; train 5 clinical staff on 5 ebps through 21-HR. Intensives; provide mental health first aid to adults and teens through 13 area organizations/schools; host staff trainings on cultural and linguistic competency; certify 5 clinical staff in crss. Goals/objectives: population served in year 1: 500. Year 2: 500. Total served: 1,000. Goals are to: -decrease barriers to care by expanding capacity and strengthening infrastructure to provide telehealth services, increasing the number of SMI, SED, and COD clients served. -reduce mental health disparities by strengthening pathways to care, provide POF trauma-informed care, individualized treatment, and recovery support. -address/improve staff mental health through preventative care/professional supports. -provide culturally sensitive training to cmhc staff and treatment to POF, making services more accessible and treatment more effective. The josselyn center is well-qualified to fulfill the cmhc grant program, having a 70-YR. History serving this POF, 2+ decades as a state grantee, 10 YRS. Running a peer-led recovery program, and hundreds of county/local grants. Our track record of building capacity is also predictor of success.