The improvement & advancement of gulf bend center: a recognized CCBHC. - project title: the improvement & advancement of gulf bend center: a recognized CCBHC

Project summary: gulf bend center (GBC) has provided outpatient mental health and substance use treatment as a texas local mental health authority for over 52 years. The counties served include calhoun, dewitt, goliad, jackson, lavaca, refugio, and victoria, with a total population of more than 180,000 residents. The entire region is a medically underserved area, and five of the seven counties are mental health professional shortage areas. In 2021, GBC was identified as a certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC). That same year, GBC served over 5,000 adults and children with serious mental illness, substance use disorders (SUD), CO-occurring disorders, and/or serious emotional disturbance. Clients are served on a needs-based system regardless of their insurance status, ability to pay, or location of residence. This project will improve the lives of these underserved populations through the improvement and advancement of existing CCBHC services. Goals: improve the availability of psychiatric medical services to special populations; improve access to services in rural communities; integrate measurement-based care into SUD services; address the behavioral health disparities and determinants of health for those residing in economically disadvantaged areas and for the incarcerated deemed incompetent to stand trial (IST); & improve staff abilities to provide services consistent with the CCBHC model of care. Objectives: by the end of year 1, GBC will expand access to crisis services by placing a crisis case manager within 3 rural emergency departments; dedicate a transporter to outreach sites; have 90% of SUD clients screened for depression (PHQ-9); have 90% of SUD clients screened for suicidality (C-SSRS); have a community resource center (CRC) with 4 agencies on-site; advance services to the incarcerated deemed IST in 3 of the 6 rural county jails; & have staff offering mat for suds trained in the use of asam criteria. By the end of year 2, GBC will improve the availability of psychiatric medical services for children and adolescents by 250 visits & for clients with suds by 250 visits; offer outreach clinic locations in 4 of the 6 surrounding counties; have 90% of AUD clients on mat assessed using the ciwa-AR.; offer education & GBC services at the CRC; provide services to the incarcerated deemed IST in 4 of the 6 rural county jails; & ensure staff providing mat for OUD get 8 hours of omat training. By the end of year 3, GBC will have 90% of OUD clients receiving mat assessed with the cows. By end of year 4, GBC will provide mat to 25% of clients with OUD; have outcomes assessed for 90% of clients on mat for OUD (ORS); have a CRC with 8 agencies & 2 internet access points; provide services to the incarcerated deemed IST in all 6 rural county jails; & have 100% of staff trained in person-centered language for addiction and implicit bias reduction. Over the entire project period, GBC will maintain primary health screenings and monitoring of key health indicators for 75% of SUD clients; provide education to 1,000 clients with health risks; remain a tobacco-free workplace & offer NRT to at least 100 clients; & maintain 100% compliance with TIC organizational self-assessments. Through these improvements and advancements, GBC will serve 500 clients in year 1; 1,000 in year 2; 1,500 in year 3; and 2,000 in year 4; for a total of 5,000 clients over the project period.