Community Project--Behavioral health services, including medication assisted treatment - Project Abstract Project Summary: Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) seeks to expand and improve the culturally specific/responsive behavioral health services available for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) Oregonians, by hiring behavioral health providers and support staff to expand expertise and capacity, improve the quality of behavioral health services available for LGBTQ+ Oregonians, and increase access to medication assisted treatment. At least 500 clients will be served. Full Abstract: Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) seeks to expand and improve the culturally specific/responsive behavioral health services available for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) Oregonians, by hiring additional behavioral health providers and support staff at its Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, Prism Health. Oregon has the highest percentage of LGBTQ+ residents of any state, yet these community members experience disproportionately higher rates of behavioral health issues, but also disproportionately lower access to affirming, knowledgeable healthcare. For instance, a 2017 report from the Oregon Substance Use Disorder Research Committee found LGBTQ+ residents face cultural barriers to entering substance-abuse treatment, with one study cited by the report reporting that only 7.4% of treatment centers offer an LGBTQ+ specialized service. A 2018 study of Multnomah County’s mental-health system noted that “it is still difficult to find providers who can be responsive to [LGBTQ+ people’s] needs across the service continuum.” Cascade AIDS Project operates the only non-profit LGBTQ+ health center providing comprehensive and behavioral healthcare in the Pacific Northwest. However, the health center still lacks specific competencies in its provider team. This project will fill that gap by expanding the team to include a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, two psychotherapists, a health psychologist, three medical assistants, and a Director of Behavioral Healthcare. Of note, many of these are new expertise areas for the health center, adding critical competencies and capacity to better serve LGBTQ+ Oregonians’ mental health and substance use disorder needs. Taken together, these new staff members will help expand and improve the culturally specific/responsive behavioral health services available for LGBTQ+ Oregonians, particularly medication assisted treatment. By the end of the project period, Cascade AIDS Project will have increased the region’s behavioral health capacity, as measured by the following objectives: • Up to 5.0 FTE behavioral health providers and 3.0FTE administrative staff members hired, onboarded, trained, credentialed • At least 500 unduplicated clients will receive behavioral health services, including 150 who receive medication assisted treatment • Of all clients served, at least 75% identify as LGBTQ+
