Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
The OGC CCBHC Expansion Project seeks to develop an Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACT) and Integrated Care Clinic to enhance its comprehensive service array to more fully meet the needs of the individuals in Washington and Benton Counties. The populations of focus include the seriously mentally ill with co-occurring health and/or substance use diagnoses and the growing Marshallese and LatinX communities. Arkansas has the largest population of Marshallese outside the Marshall Islands and a growing LatinX population both attracted by low unemployment and factory work. Washington and Benton counties are the home to several large employers (including Walmart and Tyson Foods) and have a population of over 500,000. While this is a more demographically diverse area of Arkansas it is also reflective of the state’s large number of seriously mentally ill including those with substance use problems. Arkansas rate of serious mental illness is higher than the US average. And, strikingly, in 2017 Arkansas wrote 105.4 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons at nearly double the US average. OGC has begun a Medication Assisted Treatment to include Buprenorphine and Suboxone and has 13 clients currently. This grant would further develop the program and provide rural outreach opportunities. OGC’s Behavioral Health Agency in Baxter County will act as a Designated Collaborating Agency provide opioid treatment in this underserved rural area of the state. Health disparity especially in the form of poverty contributes to the high rate of health problems including obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. While there are other providers in this area, the care available for the seriously mentally ill population is fragmented. There are no ACT Teams or integrated care clinics - designed to meet the needs of the seriously mentally ill. In addition to developing an ACT Team, OGC will partner with two Federally Qualified Health Centers to provide integrated care. OGC served 15,361 unduplicated clients in Washington and Benton Counties in 2018 and 2019 combined. While all of Washington and Benton County clients will begin receiving CCBHC services by the end of the fourth month of this project, this project plans to focus on a subset of approximately 500 individuals over two years. Select goals and objectives of this project include: GOAL 1. Develop ACT Team services that promote stabilization and recovery from mental illness objective 1. By the end of year one, there will be a 25% reduction in hospitalizations for clients supported by an ACT team, measured from the previous year GOAL 2. Improve the mental and physical health of adults with serious mental illness through integrated services objective 1. By the end of the first year, client PHQ scores will decrease by an average of 25%. GOAL 3. Increase access to community mental and substance use disorder treatment services to target populations. objective 1. Provide peer outreach to 100% qualifying LatinX and Marshallese clients by the end of first six months.
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).
