NORTHKEY cmhc - due to the covid-19 pandemic, NORTHKEY community care (NORTHKEY) will work to restore and expand the community mental health system of care across the eight counties of northern…

NORTHKEY cmhc - due to the covid-19 pandemic, NORTHKEY community care (NORTHKEY) will work to restore and expand the community mental health system of care across the eight counties of northern kentucky, just south of greater cincinnati. In response to exacerbated mental health needs created by the pandemic, project NORTHKEY cmhc will increase access to the full behavioral health continuum of care and serve 1,315 children and adults challenged with SED, SMI, and cods. As the licensed regional community mental health center, accredited by the joint commission, and designated as a certified community behavioral health clinic, NORTHKEY will implement a trauma and resilience-informed care approach within a racial equity framework to ensure that an effective and culturally responsive system of care is achieved. The region served by NORTHKEY represents over 464,000 individuals in one of the hardest HIT communities in the country by the opioid epidemic. The region is economically diverse, as 15% of the population in six of the eight counties live below the poverty level. Kentuckians are ranked among the least healthy americans across multiple health outcomes, which is now intensified with reported increases of clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety occurring during the pandemic. This project will: (1) support the restoration of clinical behavioral health services to those children, adults, and families who were already suffering from mental illness prior to the pandemic; (2) expand outreach and availability of services to those most at-risk to face negative psychological effects due to the pandemic; and (3) strengthen the training and education infrastructure available to the behavioral healthcare workforce to address their own mental health needs and expand capacity to meet escalating community needs in the wake of the pandemic. Key activities include: increasing availability of school-based services; expanding hours for intensive outpatient programming; establishing justice-involved behavioral health teams; implementing a mobile integrated healthcare clinic; creating a coordinated specialty care team for individuals with first-episode psychosis; obtaining accreditation with the national suicide prevention lifeline; delivering education to direct service staff, specific to the effects of the pandemic; and providing training to school and child welfare workforce staff to address the changing behavioral health needs of children, youth, and families. This project will serve 565 unduplicated individuals in year one and 750 more individuals in year two, for a total of 1,315 over the two years. Project NORTHKEY cmhc objectives include: in school services available to SED and COD population in 90% of the school districts; expanded intensive outpatient programming established for COD; justice-involved behavioral healthcare teams providing services to the SMI and COD; a mobile integrated care clinic to provide access to integrated care for the SED, SMI, and COD; coordinated specialty care (CSC) team for first-episode psychosis; crisis response access through accreditation with the national suicide prevention lifeline; and behavioral healthcare training provided to school districts and the regional child protection branch.