Quality improvement fund - justice involved - gaston family health services (GFHS) will work with gaston correctional center justice-involved individuals who are within 90 days of release to assure…

This federal Project Grant award of $2,981,163 from the Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under the Grants for New and Expanded Services under the Health Center Program (CFDA 93.527) will support Gaston Family Health Services, Inc. in providing comprehensive healthcare, behavioral health, and social services to justice-involved individuals within 90 days of release from the Gaston Correctional Center.

The funding will enable Gaston Family Health Services to employ a Navigator who will screen each individual for healthcare, behavioral health (including substance use disorder), and social needs (e.g., housing, employment, food, transportation). Gaston Family Health Services will then work with community partners, including Olive Branch Ministries, HealthNet Gaston, City Church, NC Works, and GEMS, to provide the necessary services and connect the individuals to resources such as Medicaid and ACA insurance upon release. The grant will cover case management in the carceral setting as well as fund the provision of housing, transportation, food, clothing, and job training through the community partners.

Quality improvement fund - justice involved - gaston family health services (GFHS) will work with gaston correctional center justice-involved individuals who are within 90 days of release to assure they are connected to healthcare, behavioral health, and social needs upon release. GFHS will employ a navigator who will meet individually with each person within 90 days of release to screen for behavioral health needs (including addiction treatment), health needs (including HIV status, HEP C status, chronic disease management), and social needs (including EMPLOYMENT, housing, food, clothing, transportation) and work with each individual to format a plan to meet those needs upon release. Community partners including olive branch ministries (harm reduction), healthnet gaston (housing/continuum of care), city church (housing, EMPLOYMENT, mentoring), NC works (EMPLOYMENT), and gems (community paramedicine, transportation) will work with GFHS to provide needed services outside of healthcare, with housing being the focus health-related social need being addressed. Grant funding will pay for case management in the carceral setting, be passed through to community partners to provide housing, transportation, food, clothing, job training, and other need health-related social needs. Upon release from the carceral setting, GFHS will provide these individuals with a full continuum of healthcare services including primary medical care, behavioral health including substance use disorder treatment and mat, dental care, HIV care, HEP C treatment, dental care, and supportive services including connection to healthcare payor sources such as medicaid and ACA insurance and connection to additional community resources. GFHS and the community partners are all members of the gaston correctional center's newly-formed reentry council, meeting regularly to meet the needs of justice-involved individuals who are being released from incarceration.