Cmhc services implementation in westfield, MA - river valley counseling center (rvcc) will focus on adults & families with serious mental illness, (SMI), SU disorders, (suds) &/or cooccurring…

Cmhc services implementation in westfield, MA - river valley counseling center (rvcc) will focus on adults & families with serious mental illness, (SMI), SU disorders, (suds) &/or cooccurring disorders (COD) especially those who are disproportionately underserved & affected by the covid-19 surge & post pandemic periods. The subpopulations to be served at rvcc's newly established outpatient clinic located in westfield, MA are people who are black, latino(a)s, have english as a second language, veterans (vets) & uninsured or underinsured individuals among others. The cmhc program will provide expanded, quick access to coordinated, comprehensive services for clients who access rvcc's holyoke, chicopee & westfield outpatient clinics located in hampden county (HC), massachusetts. All 3 clinics are within 20 miles of each other & have been declared covid hot spots by the MA dept. Of public health in april, 2021 & have been since the beginning of the pandemic. The goals of the program are to:1. Increase rvcc's staff capacity to provide mental health, physical health & addiction recovery support to all enrolled participants; 2. Increase access to and improve the quality of care for behavioral and SU disorder treatment by delivering a comprehensive recovery-oriented care model that reduces avoidable hospital admissions & preventable ED visits; & 3. Implement the program evaluation plan to determine whether program goals, objectives & outcomes have been achieved & whether adjustments to programming & workflows are needed. Rvcc will establish case management, peer/recovery specialist & SUD specialized clinical services in our newly established westfield clinic. These services were proposed at both chicopee & holyoke clinics as part of rvcc's ccbhc application in february. The project will be overseen by a project director who will work closely with an evaluation team & the medical director. Rvcc proposes to serve 100 unduplicated individuals in year one & another 100 unduplicated individuals in year two, for a total of 200 unduplicated individuals over the entire project. This cmhc staff will work to further expand services that will help to engage individuals with high risk of SMI/SED/DD and SUD. The following evidence-based treatments will be implemented: motivational interviewing (IM) cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (tcbt), integrated treatment for CO-occurring disorders, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), attachment regulation and competency (ARC) and neurofeedback (NF).