The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester's Certified Community Behavioral health Clinic proposal - The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester (MHCGM) through SAMHSA’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic expansion grant (CCBHC) will increase capacity of our programs, increase access to care, increase client satisfaction, and increase the sustainability of programs at MHCGM. MHCGM’s CCBHC proposal is implementing a three pronged approach to achieving these goals and better serve NH residents, specifically the population living in Manchester, Candia, Auburn, Goffstown, New Boston, Hooksett, Londonderry, and Bedford.
The population of MHCGM’s service area makes up about 15% of the population of the state and is very unique demographically and socio-economically. There are approximately 45,000 individuals in the service area who live at or below 200% of the poverty level. This population is larger than all towns or cities in NH but Nashua and an even larger population than two counties in the state. The majority of the 207k people within our service area live in neighborhoods where the opportunity atlas numbers project generational poverty and a lowered life expectancy. Meanwhile 56% of the clients we work with come from Medically Underserved Areas or are designated a Medically Underserved Population (MUA/P). New Hampshire ranks low in a number of health categories including 17th highest rate of suicide in the nation, top 5 for opioid deaths in the nation, 38th in the nation for Substance use disorder diagnosis, 32nd in the nation for prevalence of Mental Illness, and 50th in the nation for adults with a mental health illness whose needs are being unmet. Through this effort MHCGM will address and improve these statistics.
The first prong of this proposal is reaching more of the MUA/P within our service area. This is why much of the funding used in this proposal is going to be earmarked to help support the programs that provide community based intensive engagement and case management services that are based on improving the client’s social determinants that put them at risk. Through our Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT), our Integrated Transition Teams (ITT), and our Project for Assistance to Transition from Homelessness (PATH) team we engage this at risk population in the community, provide support, and warm hand-offs to support and care a client needs.
The second prong is improving functioning and staff satisfaction thus improving client satisfaction. The CCBC process has been shown to improve these areas and lessen staff turnover. Through the certification process as an agency we will identify more growth areas and how to better support our staff and the clients we serve. Also through the use of focus groups we will gain a better understanding of the needs of the community.
The final prong is the integration of innovative therapeutic practices into our services. The first of these will be the implementation of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). MHCGM will implement the FDA protocols to provide this treatment for Mild to Moderate Depression that has not responded to other treatments. Currently other protocols are being considered for FDA approval including protocols for substance use disorder, anxiety, and PTSD. By implementing TMS we will be ready to treat more patients as these protocols are approved.