Quality improvement fund - justice involved - the brevard health alliance (BHA) is brevard county's only federally qualified health center (FQHC) and has provided primary care services including…

Quality improvement fund - justice involved - the brevard health alliance (BHA) is brevard county's only federally qualified health center (FQHC) and has provided primary care services including behavioral health to the vulnerable and underserved communities for brevard county since march 2005 by providing over 1,000,000 medical, dental, behavioral health, and enabling encounters. Reported in the 2023 UDS (uniform data system) report, BHA served 59,718 unique patients; 47,801 (or 80%) of the total patients with known incomes are 200% and below the federal poverty guideline. This compares to 24.4% of individuals in brevard that live in households with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level as reported by florida health charts in 2022. According to brevard county's 2022 community needs assessment, the area's top barriers include trouble getting an appointment (34.3% VS. 14.5% in the U.S.), trouble finding a doctor (25.6% VS. 9.4% in the U.S.), cost of doctor visit (21.8% VS. 12.9% in the U.S.), cost of prescriptions (19.2% VS. 12.8% in the U.S.), inconvenient office hours (16% VS. 12.5% in the U.S.), lack of transportation (11% VS. 8.9% in the U.S.), and language/culture (2.3% VS. 2,8% in the U.S.). To reduce barriers and assist in addressing these needs, we provide primary and dental care; behavioral health, OB/GYN, pharmacy, specialty services, and enabling services throughout the county at twelve fixed sites and a mobile medical and dental unit. BHA also provides highly discounted care, extended office hours, free bus passes, and cost-savings through the 340B pharmacy program to BHA patients totaling more than $58.9 million since 2005. The health center currently participates in the vaccines for adults (VFA) and vaccines for children (VFC) programs; these programs provide vaccines for our uninsured and underinsured patients. Through BHA's H80 grant (H80CS04213) BHA provides primary care, infectious disease, dental, and behavioral health services across brevard county and can as sist with justice-involved individuals reentering the community (JI-R) get established with BHA as a medical home for all their needs as they RE-establish in the community. According to the most recent data in january 2023, brevard county's detention facility had an average daily population of 1,500 inmates. 64% of the inmates were sentenced to serve prison time and would need primary care services upon release. By using grant funds to support the salaries of providers who provide primary care, infectious disease, dental, and behavioral health services, BHA will be able to provide a medical home for JI-R individuals reentering the community. As the only federally qualified health center in brevard county and oftentimes serving as the first point of access for any health care need, BHA is well-positioned to expand primary care and support services to JI-R individuals who need IT in the community.