Crisis diversion services - outreach programs - four county mental health center (fcmhc) proposes to strengthen and sustain infrastructure needed to provide services and supports to the region

Fcmhc is a community mental health center (cmhc) which provides comprehensive and integrated healthcare for residents of chautauqua, cowley, ELK, montgomery, and wilson counties in southeast and south central kansas. This highly rural area is home to an estimated population base of 81,820. Fcmhc's unduplicated patient count decreased by more than 20% due to the pandemic in 2020 by serving 5,141 individuals compared to the more than 6,300 served in 2019. There are widespread risk factors for the area including intergenerational behavioral health conditions, early onset drinking and use of substances, high rates of legal involvement, and death by suicide rates that are 3% higher than the national average. Target populations for this project will include adults with SMI/spmi or COD and youth with SED or COD who are at increased risk of behavioral health crisis with emphasis on individuals with legal involvement and/or have been identified through crisis diversion services (CDS) and CDS outreach programs. The project will serve at least 200 unduplicated individuals in year 1 and 200 individuals in year 2. The goals of the project are 1) to develop, implement, and support outreach strategies and initiatives that expand crisis response, crisis diversion, and outreach efforts to target identified at-risk populations through collaborations with law enforcement and criminal justice initiatives, and 2) to create a more trauma-informed environment for patients and staff that improves experiences for both populations. Objective overviews include: 1) screening of incarcerated individuals for behavioral health concerns, 2) outreach and collaboration with local CIT efforts, 3) provision of treatment through in-person and telehealth formats to program participants, 4) enhanced CDS medical screening, monitoring, assessment, and care coordination, 5) lowering of 30-day readmission rates, 6) reducing involuntary admissions rates, 7) reducing "new legal involvement" rates by individuals within the target population, 8) obtaining training to become a "trauma-informed organizational culture," and 9) increased promotion of behavioral health-related resources available to cmhc personnel.