FY 2024 behavioral health service expansion - IT is the mission of new health to promote health and wellness within our communities by providing integrated, open-access healthcare for all

Since 1978, new health has provided and expanded access to care for its rural, low-income, and uninsured patients. Today, new health provides integrated primary medical, dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health services for the residents in rural northeast washington state. New health currently operates eight medical clinics, four dental clinics, and four internal pharmacies collectively serving over 15,000 patients annually. In calendar year 2023, new health served 134 unique patients for mental health disorders and zero patients for substance use disorders or treatment with moud. New health's service area is designated as a mental health provider shortage area by hrsa. This shortage of mental health providers, combined with the unique needs of rural healthcare, has been a barrier to expanding our mental health and substance use disorder program. In identifying this need, new health has developed bridging the distance, a three-part strategic plan to increase access to behavioral health services for our patients and create a behavioral health workforce pipeline, a plan which these FY24 behavioral health service expansion dollars will allow US to implement. 1. New health will hire licensed behavioral health associates to work in our clinic locations. FY24 behavioral health service expansion grant funds will allow US to provide the clinical hours and contract out the oversight the licensed associates need to become licensed independent providers by the end of the grant period. New health's goal is to hire two new FTE behavioral health providers by the end of 2025 and two more by the end of 2026 for a total of 4 new behavioral health provider FTE by the end of the project period. 2. New health will expand access to behavioral health services by expanding our use of virtual visits. 3. New health will WO RK with whitworth university to have their masters-level behavioral health students do clinicals on-site and virtually at new health. This partnership will create the pipeline for new health to recruit whitworth graduates to work in our rural communities. New health has a nationally recognized workforce development program called new health university. New health university includes a medical assistant apprenticeship, pharmacy technician apprenticeship, dental assistant training program, and high school student internship experiences. FY24 behavioral health service expansion funding will allow US to expand our workforce development program to newly include a behavioral health provider workforce training program. To implement our bridging the distance strategy, new health is requesting $600,000 for the first year of the grant project period to serve 300 unique patients for mental health disorders and 23 unique patients for substance use disorders and/or treatment with moud. New health is requesting $500,000 for the second year of the grant project period to serve 450 unique patients for mental health disorders and 34 unique patients for substance use disorders and/or treatment with moud in 2026.