CT hope - new funding from the U.S. Substance abuse and mental health services administration will help the nonprofit behavioral healthcare provider community health resources (CHR) expand…

CT hope - new funding from the U.S. Substance abuse and mental health services administration will help the nonprofit behavioral healthcare provider community health resources (CHR) expand recovery-oriented services for people of all ages in NE CT. Titled CT hope, this proposal aims to expand a range of services for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), substance use disorders (SUD), opioid use disorders (OUD), CO-occurring disorders (COD) and serious emotional disorders (SED) in the catchment area. The population to be served is individuals with SMI, SUD, OUD, COD, and SED from a 21-town catchment area in northeastern CT: marlborough, windham, scotland, canterbury, plainfield, sterling, columbia, coventry, mansfield, chaplin, hampton, brooklyn, kiillingly, pomfret, eastford, ashford, willington, union, woodstock, thompson and putnam. Services will be delivered in existing CHR locations in putnam, danielson and willimantic. Population and demographics of the POF vary in the catchment area, with the smallest town (union) having less than 1,000 residents, and the largest, mansfield, having 26,543, with a total population of 175,223 (census, 2020). Consisting of towns in tolland and windham counties, which average 90.3% white, 9.2% hispanic, 3.6% black and 3.25% asian, an outlier is willimantic, which has 47.8% hispanic/latinx. The catchment is 50.2% female, and 16.8% of the population is over age 65. 11.4% of families speak a primary language other than english, with 43.6% of willimantic's population speaking a primary language other than english. Clinical characteristics of the population showcase a need for increased care for individuals of all ages with SMI, SUD, OUD, COD, and SED. Strategies and interventions include increasing the availability of services to all within the POF. Project goals and measurable objectives include: 1) provide crisis stabilization services to reduce high-risk behavior that may contribute to suicide, violence, hospitalization, accidental overdose, or grave disability for youth and adults with SMI, SED, SUD, and COD with the following objectives: 1A) grant funds will establish same-day access to child crisis services. Develop collaboration protocols with local police, hospitals, mobile crisis, DOC and EDS so 75% of adults are seen within 24 hours of crisis events, 1B) develop care coordination services to engage 75% of youth and families in outpatient care after hospitalization or crisis assessment, 1C) create same-/next-day access to mat for all three FDA-approved medications for OUD for clients, 1D) add child therapy services to create first-time access to clinic-based BH treatment for children and families who are under-insured, and 1E) divert people with SMI/SUD from the legal system during crisis episodes. Goal 2: establish integrated primary and behavioral health care for youth and adults in NE CT with the following objectives: 2A) use data from standardized evaluations to identify youth at risk for chronic medical and behavioral health conditions and provide EBP care coordination, 2B) provide four annual family health wellness celebration events using catch.ORG curriculum, 2C) establish inter-agency team-based care and implement EB measurement-based care, 2D) use evidence-based treatment with children and adolescents experiencing depression and anxiety, 2E) provide intensive, community-based integrated healthcare to members of the armed forces/veterans/their families, 2F) establish collaboration with the willimantic veterans community center and 2G) educate staff on military culture. Goal 3 is to expand access to peer and recovery support resources for consumers with the most serious and complex mental illness and SUD. We will expand use of peer recovery supports to consumers in NE CT and use grant funds to hire a community support specialist. In all, we expect to serve 555 people through the duration of the project, 80 in year one, 150 in years two and three, and 175 in year four.