Suffolk county community treatment and service (SCCTS) center - FEDERATION of organizations (FEDERATION), a nonprofit, 501(C)(3) multiservice health and social service organization, is proposing the…

Suffolk county community treatment and service (SCCTS) center - FEDERATION of organizations (FEDERATION), a nonprofit, 501(C)(3) multiservice health and social service organization, is proposing the suffolk county community treatment and service (SCCTS) center in response to the substance abuse and mental health services administration (SAMHSA) FY2023 national child traumatic stress initiative - category III notice of funding opportunity SM-23-010. The goal of the SCCTS is to increase access to effective trauma- and grief-focused treatment and service systems for children and adolescents in suffolk county that have been impacted by traumatic events. Through this program, SAMHSA aims to raise the standard of care and improve access to evidence- based services for children experiencing trauma across the nation. Childhood traumatic stress occurs when violent or dangerous events overwhelm a child's or adolescent's ability to cope. Trauma experienced during childhood can have long-term mental, emotional, and physical consequences, increasing risk for depression, anxiety, suicide, substance use disorder (SUD) and physical health issues, such as heart disease and dementia, later in life. In most cases, the underlying risk factors, like poverty, residing in high crime communities, family members with substance use disorder (SUD) or CO-occurring mental illness and SUD (COD), or family history of incarceration, violence, or trauma, significantly increases the likelihood that a young person will experience multiple and repeated traumatic events. Traumatic stress can adversely impact a young person's academic performance, mental health, physical health, behavior, and relationships with peers and family members. This impact can also be long lasting, increasing a person's risk for substance use, violence, crime, sexual promiscuity, and other high-risk behaviors later in life. Given suffolk county's disproportionately high rates of SUD, pockets of high child poverty and homelessness, along with its large military and veteran population, and geographic isolation of impoverished communities, there is a large need for programs to address child traumatic stress. There are, however, few existing programs that address the comprehensive needs of youth impacted by trauma, presenting a crucial need for our proposed SCCTS program. Given the geographic dispersion of the county, existing programs are not located in (and therefore, are not accessible to) the communities most in need of services. FEDERATION's mental health, SUD treatment, and outreach services are located in communities with the highest rates of poverty, diversity, homelessness, crime, violence, and social service needs. FEDERATION, working in coordination with schools, youth-serving agencies, and providers throughout suffolk county, will provide specialized mental health and support services to children, adolescents, and families, who have been impacted by adverse events resulting in trauma. The SCCTS will also provide substance use disorder (SUD) treatment to family members, if needed, housing support, as well as other wraparound services, such as education support, employment, and benefits/entitlement advisement. FEDERATION will use case management and peers to provide daily support and coordination of services and care.