Friday, April 25, 2025
4/25/2025
AtlantiCare COVID-19 Emergency Response Program - The proposed project will be implemented by AtlantiCare Behavioral Health, which is the behavioral health department of AtlantiCare Health System. The geographic catchment area will be southern New Jersey, including Atlantic, Cape May, Ocean, Burlington, and Camden counties. Data indicates that the suicide mortality rate in our primary service area is rising faster than the national average. We plan to screen 290,000 unduplicated individuals over the five years of this grant. AtlantiCare’s leadership has adopted the components of the Zero Suicide model with the goal of reducing the number of suicides and suicide attempts in the communities we serve. The proposed project will address disparities in access, service use and outcomes by developing a system-wide approach to suicide prevention and treatment. AtlantiCare provides a wide spectrum of services at multiple locations throughout southern New Jersey. These multiple points of contact are accessible to diverse populations in the county. Using an evidenced-based tool, we plan to screen all individuals seen at AtlantiCare clinical sites for suicide risk. Individuals screened as at-risk will be immediately referred for a full assessment of their risk level with an evidence-based assessment tool. Using a standardized algorithm, individuals will be referred to an appropriate level of care based on their risk level and assessment of their risk/protective factors. All individuals assessed as at-risk will complete a Safety Plan and receive counseling on access to lethal means. Individuals assessed as immediate risks will be transported to the nearest county screening center for further assessment on the need for inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. Individuals assessed as a high risk will also be offered the opportunity to link with a Suicide Prevention Coordinator. The Coordinator will be able to provide participants with daily checks on risk status, immediate access to outpatient care, and assistance with safety planning. AtlantiCare has also adopted an evidence-based therapy model to specifically address suicidal ideation and behaviors. AtlantiCare proposes to hire a dedicated Suicide Prevention Team of a Project Director, Project Evaluator and two Suicide Prevention Coordinators. The task of this team will be to move forward and expand the nearly seven years of groundwork in the use of the Zero Suicide Model. This team will allow AtlantiCare to centralize and coordinate work across the many and varying areas of the system. Having a dedicated team that can demonstrate this leadership is essential to the expansion of the work that has already begun. The intention is to set specific measurable objectives to guide the project toward the ultimate goal of reducing the number of suicides and suicide attempts for the individuals we serve. AtlantiCare will implement a data-drive quality improvement process. This process will include the establishment of a Team Scorecard with defined objectives and targeted results to be reported out on a quarterly basis. The goal of this process is to measure and track improvement of the full line of Zero Suicide elements with a focus on improved outcomes and better care for individuals at risk of suicide.
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).