South shore mental health DBA as ASPIRE health alliance expands access to urgent care services for adults and children with SMI, SED and COD - south shore mental health DBA ASPIRE health alliance…

South shore mental health DBA as ASPIRE health alliance expands access to urgent care services for adults and children with SMI, SED and COD - south shore mental health DBA ASPIRE health alliance (ASPIRE) is a community mental health center (CMHC) serving southeastern massachusetts. ASPIRE will focus primarily on six demographically, economically and linguistically diverse communities, with one, randolph, being majority minority community. ASPIRE will expand access to urgent and same day care and will successfully engage individuals with high acuity and urgent mental health needs to reach those with SED, SMI and COD through adding reserved urgent care sessions for 10 mental health clinicians and 2 nurse practitioners, serving 700 total unduplicated individuals with SMI, SED and COD. ASPIRE will also address the mental health needs of staff with dedicated work time for increased team and supervisory support and other wellness programs. ASPIRE will enhance crisis services and build infrastructure for continuation of telehealth services. In the recently released massachusetts department of public health covid-19 community impact survey, several data points address the impact on mental health and substance use. Adults reporting poor mental health was three times the 11 percent reporting in 2019 and were 2.6 times more likely to report worry about access to medications. Severe mental health care was identified as one of five top acute conditions respondents delayed seeking care either because of access or impacts of the pandemic and 37 percent of respondents with more acute needs delayed seeking urgent care. Responses from target populations also demonstrate more stressors and discrimination impacting mental health in the asian communities respondents, including from quincy and randolph. Black communities also reported negative impacts of stress of the pandemic exacerbated by systematic racism and discrimination and similar negative impact was reported in the latinx community. Finally, recently released data on opioid overdoses in massachusetts show a tragic increase of 5 percent since the onset of the pandemic, wiping out gains the state has made on overdose prevention and returning to levels not seen since the peak of the crisis in 2016. Finally, clinicians and mental health workers have cared for clients face to face with services that could not be delivered remotely, residential and crisis services being prime examples, resulting in anxiety and stress on our staff. ASPIRE will collect noms for unduplicated clients meeting enrollment criteria at required intervals. The evaluation advisors will review performance data quarterly to assess progress on CMHC performance measures, noms follow-up rates, and progress toward objectives. Evaluation advisors will also review and analyze other project data on a monthly basis, meet with the team to assess progress and identify challenges needing to be addressed, complete required progress reports, and assess progress on identified behavioral health disparities.