FY 2024 behavioral health service expansion - providing access to transformational health services (paths) mental health disorders and substance use disorder (SUD) disproportionately affect…

FY 2024 behavioral health service expansion - providing access to transformational health services (paths) mental health disorders and substance use disorder (SUD) disproportionately affect individuals experiencing homelessness, the target population for regional health reach. Regional health reach proposes the paths initiative, designed to expand access to and increase utilization of crucial mental health care and SUD services for this vulnerable population. Our approach leverages what regional health reach has found works: bringing care to our patients where they are, in shelters and on the streets. Paths will enhance service delivery by employing a dedicated mental health therapist dedicated to work at our in-scope shelter partners. This role is pivotal in reducing barriers to care and ensuring immediate access to care. In parallel, social workers at the shelters will screen residents for mental health disorders and for SUD, facilitating a seamless connection to necessary treatments. Complementing this, regional health reach will engage a psychiatric nurse practitioner who will work both at partner shelters and with our street medicine team, delivering care to rochester's most vulnerable populations. The nurse practitioner will provide comprehensive psychiatric care, including the prescription of psychiatric medications and medication assisted therapy (mat) for SUD and dual-diagnosis patients (those diagnosed with both mental health disorders and SUD). To overcome barriers such as lack of transportation and financial constraints, paths will expand ancillary services, including the delivery of medications and the utilization of telemedicine for mat prescriptions. We will strengthen our existing partnerships with recovery and support organizations, contracting with them to integrate case management and peer support directly into our shelter and street medicine care teams. A critical component of paths is the professional development of our existing clinical staff to enhance TH EIR capabilities in prescribing mat and managing complex dual-diagnosis cases. This training will ensure that our team not only expands in size but also in skill, reinforcing our commitment to high-quality care. Finally, a dedicated project/quality manager will oversee paths, ensuring meticulous execution and continuous improvement. This role includes tracking progress against project goals, applying quality improvement strategies, and adapting to emerging needs. The manager will work closely with our social workers to conduct regular focus groups with patients and partners, ensuring our interventions remain responsive and effective. Through the paths initiative, regional health reach aims to significantly reduce health disparities among rochester's homeless populations by delivering targeted, evidence-based and patient-centered care. This proposal represents our ongoing commitment to innovate and collaborate for the health and well-being of our community's most vulnerable. The regional health reach base award ID is H80CS33885.