FY 2024 behavioral health service expansion - apicha community health center (apicha CHC) was founded in 1989 as the asian and pacific islander coalition on HIV/aids to address the HIV/aids-related…

FY 2024 behavioral health service expansion - apicha community health center (apicha CHC) was founded in 1989 as the asian and pacific islander coalition on HIV/aids to address the HIV/aids-related needs of new york city's (NYC) asian and pacific islander (API) community, particularly lesbian, GAY, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) apis. In 2009, our HIV care model was expanded to include general primary care, and in 2012 was designated as a federally qualified health center look-alike (FQHC-LA). Finally, in 2015, apicha CHC was recognized as a federally qualified health center (FQHC). Today, apicha CHC provides a full range of medical, preventive health, and supportive services. Medical services include: primary care; HIV medical care; prep/PEP; transgender health; women's health; dental care; pediatric care, mental health and substance use disorder services. Apicha CHC is a safe space and safety net for its four target populations: apis, hispanics/latinx, lgbtq+ individuals, and people living with HIV/aids (PLWHA). In 2022, apicha CHC opened a satellite site in jackson heights, queens, new york, to advance the primary care model to a diverse community in jackson heights. This site is more specific to an ethnically diverse population with immigrants from south and east asia and latin america. In 2023, at apicha CHC's jackson heights site, 87% of patients identified as black, indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). Access to culturally competent behavioral health services is critical to meet the community's behavioral health needs. Apicha CHC's jackson heights service area is a highly diverse population comprised of 59.8% foreign-born, and almost half (45.4%) of the population is best served in a language other than english. The percentage of adults without health insurance in apicha CHC's queens service area is 16.5%, compared to 8.7% for the county of queens. At apicha CHC's jackson heights site, almost half of the patients (47%) are uninsured, well above the service area and county rates. This lack of health insurance coverage is a significant barrier to the necessary mental health and substance use disorder services needed in the community. Research has shown that black, latinx, asian, and pacific islanders who are experiencing depression are less likely to be connected to mental healthcare than white new yorkers. Undocumented immigrants avoid mental health care due to fear and distrust. Asylum seekers and refugees experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The rate of psychiatric inpatient series in queens, NY, in 2022 is higher than the statewide rate, 3.8 per 10,000 versus 3.4 statewide. Jackson heights has seen an increase in overdose deaths involving opioids and non-fatal opioid-related hospital events from 79.1 per 100,000 in 2019 to 96.4 per 100,000 in 2021. Apicha CHC seeks to leverage the BH expansion grant to expand much-needed mental health and substance use disorder services at their jackson heights satellite site in queens, new york. For the proposed project, apicha CHC will utilize hrsa funds to hire bilingual staff to meet the community's needs, including 1.0 FTE psychiatric nurse practitioner to provide substance use disorder (SUD) services, medication management, and serve patients with severe mental illness and 1.0 FTE medical assistant to support the psychiatric nurse practitioner. Apicha CHC will also hire 1.0 FTE licensed clinical social worker for counseling services targeting the low-income, uninsured population and 2.0 FTE behavioral health case managers/lmsws to connect patients to receive the appropriate and timely mental health and SUD services. The proposed project will limit hospitalization and expand access to mental health and substance use disorder services to existing patients and new patients in a culturally appropriate and safe environment.