"Expanding Access of Substance Use, Mental Health, and Co-Occurring Disorder Services through Rapid Access Assessment Center" - The project “Expanding Access of Substance Use, Mental Health, and Co-Occurring Disorder Services through Rapid Access Assessment Center” would expand the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic services within High Point’s outpatient program in New Bedford, MA to provide an assessment center model to increase patient access to screening and assessments for mental health, substance use, and co-occurring treatment services through the SBIRT model. The population served includes adults age 18 & older and adolescents age 13 to 17. Patients will be able to access assessment center services on-site 7 days a week and meet with a clinician, who will complete a screening, intake, and do a thorough assessment to identify areas of risk, assessment of psychosocial needs, and need for medical monitoring or psychiatric stabilization. The proposed project would provide increased access through a rapid access assessment center model to screening, brief intervention, and referrals to appropriate substance use, mental health, and co-occurring disorder integrated treatment services. High Point currently provides outpatient counseling, psychiatric medication management, and MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) services in its Brockton and Plymouth outpatient programs, and recovery support staff trained in recovery coaching within the community. The integrated assessment center staff will be comprised of Masters’ trained clinicians, medication prescriber, nurse case manager, and recovery coaches. The overall goals and objectives of the expansion would increase access to treatment for individuals diagnosed with a substance use, mental health, and/or co-occurring disorder receiving enhanced clinical support with referrals to inpatient and residential treatment services, evidence-based counseling services, psychopharmacology, MAT, and community-based recovery supports to improve coordinated care and engagement to reduce recidivism in treatment. The project will serve 3,000 patients over the course of the two-year project and 1,500 annually.
