Project Grant H79SM089408

COPE ALL-ACCESS TEAM - COPE COMMUNITY SERVICES, INC. (COPE) PROPOSES TO IMPLEMENT THE COMPREHENSIVE CCBHC MODEL THROUGH THE COPE ALL-ACCESS TEAM (CAAT) IN PIMA COUNTY, AZ, TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY MENTAL HEALTH AND SUD SERVICES INFORMED BY A LOCAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT. WITH A 24/7 POINT OF ENTRY INTO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE, THE CAAT WILL PROVIDE CRUCIAL TREATMENT EXPANSION, AGENCY-WIDE IMPROVEMENTS, AND WILL AIM TO REDUCE SUBSTANCE USE AND IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS. THE CAAT WILL SERVE POPULATIONS WITH OR AT RISK FOR MENTAL ILLNESS AND/OR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS IN PIMA COUNTY, AZ. THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM IN PIMA COUNTY IS APTLY CHARACTERIZED BY THE FOUR HEALTH PRIORITY AREAS IDENTIFIED BY PIMA COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT (PCHD): BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD), ACCESS TO CARE, AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH (CHNA, 2022). THERSE INTERACTING PRIORITIES EMPHASIZE THE CRITICAL NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE, COORDINATED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE. ACCESS TO TIMELY, CULTURALLY, AND LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUD CARE IS AN URGENT SERVICE GAP IN PIMA COUNTY. COMPOUNDING THIS, THE COVID19 PANDEMIC CAUSED BOTH MH SYMPTOMS AND SUD RATES TO SKYROCKET IN PIMA COUNTY. OVERDOSE DEATHS IN PIMA COUNTY HAVE DOUBLED FROM 176 IN 2017 TO 335 IN 2022. NON-FATAL OVERDOSES HAVE ALSO DOUBLED; THERE WERE 297 IN 2017 COMPARED TO 607 IN 2022 (AZDHS, 2023). ADDITIONALLY, AREAS WITH HIGH SOCIAL VULNERABILITY (BASED ON THE CDC SOCIAL VULNERABILITY INDEX) EXPERIENCE DISPROPORTIONATE OVERDOSE DEATHS, EMPHASIZING THE DISPARITIES BETWEEN UNDER-RESOURCES COMMUNITIES AND THE GENERAL POPULATION. THE CAAT WILL SERVE AS AN EFFICIENT PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL 24/7 ENTRY POINT FOR COPE'S TREATMENT PROGRAMS AND WILL IMPLEMENT SEVERAL STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES. THE TEAM WILL CONSIST OF A PROJECT DIRECTOR, PROGRAM MANAGER, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL (BHMP), AND SIX BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TECHNICIANS SPECIALISTS (BHTS) STAFF, ALL COMPREHENSIVELY TRAINED TO PROVIDE TARGETED CASE MANAGEMENT AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TREATMENT SERVICES. COPE WILL ALSO MAKE AGENCY-WIDE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS TO ENABLE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OS THE CCBHC MODEL. THE GOALS OF THE CAAT ARE 1) TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE AND COORDINATED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES BY PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING THE CCBHC MODEL SYSTEM-WIDE WITHIN COPE COMMUNITY SERVICES INC; 2) TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE OUTREACH, SCREENING, ASSESSMENT, TREATMENT, CARE COORDINATION, AND RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS IN NEED OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE; AND 3) TO INCREASE TIMELY ACCESS TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE, SUPPORTING RECOVERY AND IMPROVING OUTCOMES AMONG INDIVIDUALS SERVED BY THE CCBHC. THESE GOALS ARE REINFORCED BY SPECIFIC AND MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES DESIGNED TO MEASURE PROGRESS IN PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND THE OUTCOMES OF INTEREST: INCREASED ACCESS TO CARE, IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEMS, AND DECREASED SUBSTANCE USE. THE CAAT WILL SERVE 300 CLIENTS PER YEAR (1050 TOTAL, 150 IN YEAR ONE). THE CAAT WILL PROVIDE CRUCIAL TREATMENT EXPANSION AND ESSENTIAL AGENCY-WIDE IMPROVEMENTS, INCREASING TIMELY ACCESS TO COORDINATED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE IN PIMA COUNTY, AZ. COPE CURRENTLY OFFERS MOST OF THE CORE CCBHS SERVICES, AND THE PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL SUPPLEMENT THOSE SERVICES AND NEARLY ELIMINATE THE DELAY BETWEEN FIRST CONTACT AND FULL INTAKE THROUGH IMMEDIATE SAME-DAY PROVISION OF SERVICES, REGARDLESS OF BENEFIT ENROLLMENT STATUS OR ABILITY TO PAY. RAPID INITIATION OF SERVICES WILL ALLOW STAFF TO INTERVENE QUICKLY TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE WHOLE PERSON: MEDIAL, MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE USE, AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH.