Friday, May 9, 2025
5/9/2025
Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Overdose Response - Petersburg Medical Center 103 Fram St, Petersburg, AK 99833 Critical Access Hospital (CAH) https://www.pmcak.org/ Project Director: Patrick Sessa, LCSW, Behavioral Health Clinical Supervisor 907-772-4299 psessa@pmc-health.org Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Overdose Response Grant Program Funds Requested: $300,000 Over twelve months, Petersburg Advancing Telepsychiatry (PAT) will establish and build capacity for a robust, sustainable integrated telemedicine framework serving all of Petersburg Borough, and bridge current gaps in our service region’s access to critical behavioral health care for those affected by substance use disorder and opioid use disorder. Proposed Service Region: The target rural service region is the 4,000-square mile area served by Petersburg Medical Center – Petersburg Borough and the surrounding rural census areas, located in central Southeast Alaska and accessible only by boat or plane, comprise both a HRSA-designated rural area and a Health Professional Shortage Area. Population to be Served: The target population includes adolescents and adults living anywhere in the rural service area who are affected by substance use disorder and opioid use disorder. Notably, due to the city’s location on the Inside Passage ferry line and seasonal industries’ labor influx, a significant population of non-residents depend on PMC, the island’s only primary health care facility, for behavioral health services throughout the year. Needs to Be Addressed: Substance use presents an entrenched public health crisis in Alaska – and specifically in our rural service area, as demonstrated in the project proposal – yet local behavioral health resources do not meet the needs of Petersburg residents. Petersburg Borough has no substance use rehabilitation center, no inpatient treatment, and no psychiatric provider. Our population has significant unmet need for an expanded SUD treatment continuum located in the region where they live, with clear referral pathways from primary care and community-based prevention and early intervention providers. Establishing psychiatric assessment and medication management as permanent components of Petersburg Medical Center’s integrated primary and behavioral care model is critical, and overdue. Proposed Services: The proposed 12-month PAT project will meaningfully improve access to, capacity for, and sustainability of these services – prioritizing populations experience disparities, and in alignment with all funding opportunity expectations. The service population will have access to telehealth-based psychiatric care in a dedicated, private setting onsite at Petersburg Medical Center, with support from the PAT Behavioral Health Associate and easy access to all primary and behavioral health resources. Providers throughout Petersburg Medical Center’s system of care will have ready access to the contracted expert psychiatrist for curbside consultations on patients’ care, with an option to refer to the same psychiatrist for assessment and/or follow-up care as needed. Finally, the contract psychiatrist will deliver in-person provider trainings and consultations in Petersburg on a quarterly basis throughout the 12-month project period. This suite of project services represents access to a level of care previously unavailable to our service area’s residents, along with increased capacity across the system of care. PAT is designed to ensure sustainability of all services, through development, monitoring, improvement, and manualization of new referral, service provision, documentation, and billing practices.
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).