Project Grant T6249314

INTEGRATED SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD) TRAINING PROGRAM - INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER'S (ICHS) AIMS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD) TREATMENT BY ENHANCING THE ADVANCED REGISTERED NURSE PRACTITIONER RESIDENCY PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM WILL WORK TO EDUCATE AND RETAIN WELL-ROUNDED, HIGHLY EFFECTIVE AND CULTURALLY COMPETENT NURSE PRACTITIONERS (NPS) WHO WILL WORK AS PRIMARY CARE PRACTITIONERS IN A COMMUNITY HEALTH SETTING. THE FIVE-YEAR PROJECT WILL EXPAND THE TRAINING PROGRAM TO INCREASE INTEGRATED SUD TREATMENT FOR UNDERSERVED LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES AT THE ICHS SHORELINE CLINIC AND SERVE AS A MODEL TO INFORM AND EXPAND BEST PRACTICES AT SITES ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION. BY INTEGRATING MENTAL HEALTH AND SUD PROGRAMS WITHIN PRIMARY CARE, ICHS WILL RESPOND TO THE COMPLEX NEEDS OF PATIENTS WITH CO-OCCURRING CONDITIONS, AND THE HIGH DEMAND FOR SERVICES. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL UTILIZE STRATEGIES FOR THE RECRUITMENT OF RESIDENTS AND FACULTY, DISPENSE CONTINUING EDUCATION AMONG STAFF, EXPAND ACADEMIC AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, AND IMPLEMENT PRIMARY CARE/ SUD INTEGRATION TECHNIQUES ORGANIZATION-WIDE. THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR WILL BE INSTRUMENTAL IN CONTINUED RECRUITMENT EFFORTS FOR NP RESIDENTS, STAFF AND EXPANDING CURRENT PARTNERSHIPS. THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR WILL ALSO GUIDE THE INTEGRATION OF SUD AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES INTO THE MEDICAL TEAM, WHICH WILL IMPROVE ICHS' CARE COORDINATION, TREATMENT ACCESSIBILITY AND HEALTH OUTCOMES. PROGRAM LEADERSHIP AND FACULTY WILL ENSURE ALL PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATE EVIDENCE-BASED COMPETENCY IN ALL AREAS OF RESIDENCY CURRICULUM. NP RESIDENTS ARE TRAINED THROUGH A ROBUST, NATIONALLY-ACCREDITED CURRICULUM, INCLUDING: CONTINUITY CLINICS, SPECIALTY ROTATIONS, DIDACTICS AND POPULATION-BASED PROJECTS. IN ADDITION, FORMAL CONTINUING EDUCATION WILL BE PROVIDED TO ALL PATIENT FACING STAFF ON SUD AND OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEEDBACK TO FOSTER A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. ENHANCING THE NP RESIDENCY PROGRAM WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF NPS IN COMMUNITY BASED SETTINGS THAT PROVIDE CARE TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. EVALUATION TECHNIQUES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED ACROSS LEADERSHIP STAFF, FACULTY, RESIDENTS, AND PROGRAM ALUMNI TO ENSURE BEST-PRACTICES ARE APPLIED. EFFORTS WILL BE MADE TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH DEVELOPED PARTNERSHIPS, PROGRAM EXPANSIONS, AND ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES THROUGHOUT THE FUNDING PERIOD. THE PROJECT WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS TRAINED ANNUALLY FROM THREE TO FOUR WITH A TOTAL OF 20 RESIDENTS COMPLETING THE PROGRAM DURING THE 5-YEAR GRANT CYCLE. WITH THE INCREASED CAPACITY OF THE NP RESIDENCY PROGRAM THROUGH THIS GRANT OPPORTUNITY, THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS ACCESSING SUD SERVICES WILL INCREASE BY 10% AND INCREASE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTEGRATION WITH SUD TREATMENT BY 100%. RESIDENTS WILL COMPLETE AN ESTIMATED 1,200 FAMILY PRACTICE ENCOUNTERS PER YEAR, OF WHICH AT LEAST 150 WILL INVOLVE SUD AND 75 WILL BE RELATED TO MOUD. THESE OUTCOMES WILL SERVE AS INDICATORS OF THE PROGRAM'S EFFECTIVENESS AND DEMONSTRATE THE IMPACT OF THIS INITIATIVE ON THE COMMUNITY IT SERVES. FUNDING PRIORITY IS BEING REQUESTED. ICHS FAR EXCEEDS PRIORITY CRITERIA FOR PROVIDING CARE TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. AS OUTLINED IN TABLE 2 (ATTACHMENT 6), THE ADVANCED NURSE PRACTITIONER RESIDENCY PROGRAM LOCATED AT ICHS SHORELINE MEDICAL AND DENTAL CLINIC RECEIVED 20 POINTS FOR ITS MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY SCORE, EXCEEDING THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT BY 4 POINTS. ICHS PROVIDES CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE HEALTHCARE THAT PROMOTES EQUITY. SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1973, ICHS HAS EXPANDED TO SERVE LOW-INCOME AND LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT POPULATIONS FROM MANY COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTY. ICHS CENTERS THIS MISSION IN ITS WORK BY REACHING OUT TO POPULATIONS WHO ARE BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR AND/ OR LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES WHICH MAY INCLUDE MANY WHO ARE IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES.