Virtual walk-in center - the mental health center of denver (MHCD) proposes to develop, deliver and evaluate a same day service that uses telehealth technology to deliver behavioral health care

The goal is: to provide timely, convenient and efficient access to early intervention and treatment for denver residents experiencing urgent behavioral health issues and/or worsening of pre-existing mental health conditions related to the covid-19 pandemic, with emphasis on reducing behavioral health disparities and increasing health equity. As pandemic-related restrictions have eased in the past few months, MHCD has seen escalating demand for all types of mental health care. For example, a person contacting our access center now faces an average two-and-a-half months' wait for a traditional outpatient appointment. At the same time, many people are still reluctant to access in-person care even when their behavioral health needs are becoming increasingly urgent. The virtual walk-in center (V-WIC) program will allow denver residents ages 12 and older with serious mental illness (SMI), serious emotional disturbance (SED), or CO-occurring disorder (COD) to obtain a same day tele-behavioral health session. They will be able to access this service through their own phones, tablets or computers, or through secure, hipaa-compliant kiosks located in denver schools, libraries, senior centers, and other community sites. Extensive, equity-based marketing and engagement activities will raise awareness about the same day service and how to use IT. An intake specialist will screen each contact, triage to the appropriate provider, and facilitate telehealth connections. Most interventions will involve brief treatment and support with the option of moving to other ongoing services if needed. The V-WIC tele-behavioral health program will be based at MHCD's walk-in center (WIC), part of the statewide behavioral health crisis system. CO-location of the in-person WIC with the V-WIC will allow coordination with crisis staff when more intensive treatment is required. The V-WIC is envisioned as an innovative solution to the perennial need to provide timely access to needed behavioral health services. To assure its success, MHCD intends to conduct a comprehensive study of its design and development as part of the grant's performance assessment process. This study will use human centered design principles not only to support development of high-quality, accessible services, but also to build an infrastructure and operational policies and procedures that will sustain the program after grant funding ends. In support of the goal listed above, MHCD will use two-year samhsa funding to achieve the following primary objectives: 1. Deliver same day tele-behavioral health services to at least 600 persons with SMI, SED and COD in denver affected by the pandemic; and 2. Employ human centered design tools and strategies to design, monitor and modify program services and operations in order to assure ongoing sustainability after grant funding ends.