FY 2024 behavioral health service expansion - project title: FY 24 behavioral health services expansion (hrsa-24-078) applicant organization name: central city community health center, INC

Grant number: H80CS10608 project director name: DR. Rosemary reyes, CEO brief description of proposed project: central city community health center, INC. (ccchc) fybhse project proposes to expand patient access to behavioral health services inclusive of mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Ccchc will utilize the department of health and human services road-map for behavioral health integration, to guide program expansion, ensuring ccchc providers and workforce have the resources and tools necessary to respond to patient health needs. The bhse program will address stigmas and discriminations, known barriers to care; services will be provided in a comprehensive model care to address both physical, mental, and social risk factors; and increase provider role in medications for treatment of opioid use disorder. Population & needs: ccchc's target patient population is the under-served, which are also identified as high-risk patients, throughout our service area. The proposed service area accounts for a total population of more than 5.12 million residents. Within the service area, 1,994,183, or 39.6% residents identify as low-income, living below 200% of the FPG - of which - 25.5% or nearly 1.3 million individuals live below 138% of the FPG, and 839,000 residents (16.7%) live below 100% FPG, which is the threshold to be deemed "in poverty" by the US census. The service area identifies 26,928 people experiencing homelessness based on current point-in-time counts. Further, 11.5% (585,000) are uninsured while 40.1% of service area residents are insured via medicaid. The aforementioned defined our target patient population. Current data identifies 13% of low-income service area residents reporting higher rates of serious psychological distress in the past year, 10.4% had moderate to sever e impairments (in social life, family life, household life, and work life) in the past year; while 26.7% of low-income seniors in the service area also reported loneliness. One (1) in 10 low-income service area residents (10.8%), representing 149,000 people, reported to have ever seriously thought about suicide. Further, within ccchc's service area, more low-income adults reported to have used heroin in the past year, when compared to the state. About 26,000 low-income service area residents reported to have "used methamphetamines in the past year" - this rate is nearly twice that of the state. Increasing the number of patients receiving behavioral health services: ccchc program will utilize grant funds to increase its number of behavioral health specialists and workforce, throughout out our network of service delivery sites; resulting in an increased access to mental health and SUD services. Outreach and education materials will focus on the recognition of culture and environment stigmas, yet, focus on promotion of treatment, prevention, and recovery. The inclusion of supportive social needs will target gaps in care, to identify and address the environmental and social needs which impact access to and continuation of health care services. Ccchc health care providers will further expand their role in providing medications for treatment of opioid use disorder. In addition, ccchc will provide access to all service area residents, regardless of insurance status and/or ability to pay.