Fairview Health Services (Fairview) will enhance the breadth and depth of mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services in greater Minnesota by expanding clinical resources and infrastructure, staffing, and capacity at Fairview’s Mental Health & Addiction Transition Clinic (Transition Clinic) and two rural satellite clinic sites in Itasca and Sherburne Counties. To address barriers individuals seeking mental health and SUD services face, the Transition Clinic facilitates same-day access to bridging services—brief psychotherapy, psychiatry, and care management—for individuals (5 and over) who need next-level mental health and addiction services after a hospital or emergency department (ED) discharge. The Transition Clinic opened in 2021. Co-located in Fairview’s Community Health and Wellness Hub, at the former St. Joseph’s Hospital site in downtown St. Paul, the Transition Clinic is staffed by Licensed Mental Health Professionals (7 FTE) and coordination staff (2.4 FTE). As a mental health provider shortage covers nearly three-quarters of the state (HRSA; 2022), Minnesotans face gaps in emergency and long-term mental health care; the Transition Clinic seeks to fill these gaps.
Non-urban communities in Minnesota experience limited access to mental heath and SUD services for myriad reasons, such as geographically constrained broadband service, reduced regional transportation, and fewer primary care sites with integrated behavioral health services. Federal appropriations will support Fairview to extend and enhance its integrated behavioral health services by:
• adding telehealth hubs no fewer than two sites in greater Minnesota;
• Enhance electronic health records capabilities related to mental health services and SUD;
• increasing appointment opportunities;
• extending birth to 5 services;
• implementing broader chemical dependency services and resources including group, marriage and family therapy;
• incorporating peer support specialists into clinical practice team;
• training staff in modalities related to younger populations and chemical dependency.
Together, these efforts will increase mental health appointments by 30%, increase staff early intervention competencies, increase organizational capacity to address co-occurring illnesses inclusive of SUD and treat 5,150 individuals and their families who otherwise would not have access to mental health services.