Thursday, December 26, 2024
12/26/2024
Through the Urgent Behavioral Solutions (UBS) project, Ozark Center in partnership with Freeman Health System and Access Family Care, seeks to provide integrated, urgent behavioral health services, seven days a week, in a convenient, trauma informed, welcoming and comfortable care environment that ultimately will reduce reliance on emergency departments, reducing potential acute care admissions by developing alternatives, and reducing recidivism rates for high utilizers. The geographic catchment area of Barton, Jasper, McDonald and Newton counties, is located in the southwest corner of Missouri, along the Four State Area border (Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma). The city of Joplin is the project site and the largest city located in the geographic center of the region. These counties were selected as the location for this project because of their 1) identified need for urgent and emergent behavioral health services; and, 2) the existing infrastructure that exists as a result of the CCBHC established in this area in July, 2017. The population of focus will be a diagnostically heterogeneous population aged 16 years and older with an emergent or urgent psychiatric need resulting in a mental health crisis. These individuals will be unable to safely await routine community care due to risks such as suicide, self-harm, or clinical deterioration. Other populations served include those new to behavioral health care requiring immediate access but lack the ability to navigate a comprehensive treatment system, those who missed previously scheduled appointments at outpatient centers requiring an emergent response, those individuals that missed medication assisted treatment and require follow-up for prescriptions, and those individuals frequenting emergency departments requiring boarding and extended stays. It is expected that UBS will serve 3,650 unduplicated individuals over the entire project period with 1,500 served in the first year. Achievement of UBS project goals will produce meaningful and relevant results through expansion of effective urgent behavioral healthcare. The project has four goals: 1) decrease the number of individuals boarded in emergency departments; 2) reduce mental health symptoms in high utilizers of inpatient services; 3) increase access to opioid treatment services (4) increase psychiatric post-hospitalization follow-up; and 5) increase community access to programs defined by trauma informed practices and facilities as well as person first language. The applicant, Ozark Center, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that was incorporated and began providing behavioral health services in February, 1965. The Center is dedicated to providing effective, comprehensive behavioral health care, including substance use treatment services. Ozark employs approximately 655 employees in 30 locations across Jasper, Newton, McDonald and Barton counties and serves nearly 14,000 consumers annually. In 2017, Ozark received Certified Community Behavioral Health Center status from the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
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).