Thursday, April 18, 2024
4/18/2024
The National Council for Behavioral Health (the National Council) proposes to establish the National Center of Excellence for Integrated Health Solutions (CIHS) to advance implementation of high quality, evidence-based treatment for individuals with co-occurring physical and mental health conditions, including substance use disorders (SUDs). Training and technical assistance (TTA) will be provided to health practitioners, providers, community leaders, and state leaders on addressing the needs of individuals with co-occurring physical and mental health conditions, including SUDs, who die decades earlier than the national average due to untreated and preventable chronic illnesses. Overarching project goals include to provide practical, on-demand and evidence-based TTA to address the fundamental building blocks for bi-directional integrated care and respond to local complexities within state and regional systems of care, and to build and enhance capacity among health practitioners. The National Council is the nation’s leading champion for bi-directional integrated care. Building on its eight years of experience as the CIHS provider and 30 years of experience providing TTA on integration, the proposed approach will ensure rapid start-up and continued access to health practitioner training and education via an on-demand training platform that will offer easy access to culturally and linguistically appropriate materials, resources, expert training, and coaching support via an ECHO-type model. The National Council will partner closely with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Technology Transfer Centers to guide development and facilitate dissemination of resources and training; Henry Chung, M.D. of Montefiore to advise on the implementation of an evidence-based Framework for bi-directional integration to support health practitioners; the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors to reinforce engagement, inform targeted regional adaptations, and identify areas where the National Council can advise when state policy adjustments are necessary to overcome systemic barriers to integrated care; the Weitzman Institute to advise on the development of ECHO-type weekly consultations to enhance TTA; the Multicultural Development Institute to provide TTA on addressing health disparities; the Primary Care Development Corporation to support the advancement of integration of behavioral health in primary care settings; and Relias to build innovative, online and on-demand learning for participants A national CIHS Advisory Council will include leaders representing all U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regions and experts in bi-directional integration. The National Council will promote effective dissemination to reach 60,000 individual practitioners, 6,000 provider organizations, 10,000 community leaders, and 200 state leaders annually, for a total of 76,200 individuals served annually and 381,000 individuals throughout the lifetime of the project to advance integrated care nationally.
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).
