Sunday, November 24, 2024
11/24/2024
The proposed Middlesex County Restoration Center is a pilot program for a model for behavioral health urgent and crisis services that can prevent arrests and unnecessary hospitalization/Emergency Department (ED) utilization for adults in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The Restoration Center will combine mental health and substance use condition crisis services to address the high rate of need for co-occurring condition treatment. It will provide services 24/7/365 to individuals regardless of their insurance status or other payer-related distinctions with an emphasis on providing a physical service location convenient for first responders and law enforcement who have traditionally responded to crisis situations. The Restoration Center will provide same day services, including triage (which includes medical evaluation), peer support specialist and recovery coach services, same day urgent care, and initiation of medication for addition treatment (MAT); connections to ongoing care including post-crisis appointments, transfers to appropriate levels of care, social services support plans and case management, multi-day services including adult community crisis stabilization beds for stays up to 24 hours, acute treatment services (ASAM Level 3.7), clinical support services (ASAM level 3.5), harm reduction substance use disorder care up to 24 hours, and respite care for up to 2 weeks. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (MDPH, BSAS) is the applicant entity on behalf of the MA Executive Office for Health and Human Services (EOHHS). EOHHS also has partnered with Commonwealth Medicine (CWM), a division of the University of MA Medical School, to procure and manage a contracted direct service provider to implement the Restoration Center pilot program. This initiative will supplement several state sources of funding, including but not limited to: a $1M annual appropriation to EOHHS, a $4 million one-time appropriation to a trust fund overseen by the MA Department of Mental Health; as well as direct billing by the state Medicaid agency for covered services provided to eligible Members. The Restoration Center pilot program will also be overseen by the Middlesex Country Restoration Commission, created by state legislation in 2018 and comprised of stakeholders across behavioral health and criminal justice systems. The Commission was tasked with studying the underlying problems causing arrest and ED utilization among individuals with behavioral health conditions, and developing a model for the Restoration Center pilot program. The goal of this work is to generate evidence to support potential permanent state funding of the Restoration Center and potential replication and expansion of the model statewide. Key outcomes for the population served include reduced ED visits for individuals with behavioral health conditions who could be treated in a less restrictive setting, reduced ED "boarding," increased use of community based behavioral health services, increased access to social services and supports, reduced arraignment of individuals with behavioral health conditions, and reduced disparities in access to services and related disparities in arrest rates of individuals with behavioral health conditions who identify as people of color, LGBTQIA+, veterans, and people who are unhoused.
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).
