Monday, May 5, 2025
5/5/2025
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - Child Focus is well positioned as a reputable provider with four decades of experience, expertise, collaborative partnerships, and facilities to serve as the hub for clinical services and coordination of care in rural Southwest Ohio. Child Focus’ overarching goal is to increase timely access to high quality integrated health services through person centered and trauma informed, behavioral health care that is well coordinated for all ages. Funds will be utilized to renovate and retrofit under-utilized areas of our 20,000 sq. ft. behavioral healthcare facility for innovative 23-hour crisis stabilization services for adults that are easily accessible to residents of Clermont, Brown, Highland and Adams Counties in Ohio. Renovation plans include the addition of bedrooms, bathrooms with showers, laundry room, common area, pantry and kitchenette, and offices for exams, nurses, medical storage, law enforcement and first responders, parking lot expansion, creation of a client/staff and first responder entrances and the addition of associated electrical, HVAC and plumbing. The continuum of crisis services in Clermont County is quite robust for rural Ohio including a 24/7 Hotline, 24/7 MCT, and MRSS. These services are readily expanding into Brown County. A gap in the continuum exists in the areas of crisis stabilization and inpatient services which require community members in crisis to travel in excess of one hour to access such care. The geographic barrier prevents family involvement in care and reduces successful re-integration into the community upon discharge. The current usage of crisis stabilization services is relatively low for Clermont and Brown Counties and anecdotal evidence suggests that transportation barriers skew the data we have to support the need for local services at this level of care. Excessive emergency room visits are a direct result, as well as jail and longer-term inpatient care. Child Focus has deeply established partnerships and many other emerging partnerships with entities such as law enforcement, hospitals, inpatient and residential facilities, court systems, DJFS, which will support the success, utilization of and capacity for crisis stabilization in the catchment area. The Clermont and Brown Crisis Hotline, associated with the National Lifeline and 988, will serve as the communication hub for triage. The Child Focus vision for Crisis Services aligns with that of Ohio Mental Health & Addiction Services: Every person gets the right response, in the right place, every time. Our framework is person centered and designed to serve individuals with complex behavioral health issues and/or social determinants of health. Although Child Focus serves people of all ages and all types of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, the vision for 23-Hour Crisis Stabilization in Mt. Orab will serve adults, as well as individuals who may not access services at all without considerable outreach and engagement, by offering multiple levels of care including emergency walk-in behavioral health urgent care with medical screening, evaluation and observation capabilities by a multidisciplinary team. We envision a space that is safe, welcoming and comfortable to address acute care needs. We firmly believe that providing services in the community and culture that is natural to the individual will result in greater connection, easier access, more successful outcomes and comprehensive care coordination. Care coordination and linkage to resources will be pivotal to ensure success and minimize recidivism. Within the same facility, Child Focus offers individual, group, couples and family therapy as well as medication services. Community based peer support and case management may be leveraged at Child Focus and when outside of our scope, through other partners such as Talbert House located directly across the street providing a full range of MH/SUD services or HealthSource of Ohio, a FQHC, providing medical care just minutes away.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).