Tuesday, April 23, 2024
4/23/2024
The MHAASA of Puerto Rico (PR) will implement a System of Care Expansion and Sustainability Grant (SOC-ESG) Project to provide comprehensive mental health (MH) services dor children and youth. from birth through age 21, with SED and their families, and promote infrastructure development to ensure sustainable policies, legislation, financing and the integration of quality evidence-based practices in public and private service systems. The targeted areas will be local jurisdictions of Yauco in the Southern Region and Manati in the Northern MH services for children/youth. Emotional trauma in children increased recently due to severe damages from severe and continuing earthquakes impacting primarily Southern PR. The SOC-ESG will implement Required Activities to achieve the goals and objectives, including outpatient and intensive day treatment, offered in clinic in Yauco, supplemented by home visits, including to foster homes and group homes of children in protective care. Over a 4-year grant period, 350 children/youth with SED or symptoms of SMI and their families will be served. Individual, group and family counseling, with professional consultation and review and management of medications will be offered by a multi-disciplinary staff trained on the SOC and Wraparound EBP's. Arrangements will permit 24-hour/7-day a week emergency services through MHAASA's children's residential MH programs and collaborating partners, as well as intensive home-based services when the child is at imminent risk of out of home placement. The MHAASA has commitments of collaboration from the Special Education Program; Juvenile Justice System and Family Department Protective services, Foster Care and Independent Living Programs for referrals and for assisting youth in transition to MH services as adult. Collaboration through the PUEDO Project will permit other support (vocational education and employment skill development and placement) for youth with early onset of SED/SMI. The intensive wraparound strategies of the SOC-ESG will ensure services and supports sustain family participation, including peer support activities. A Governance Structure Board will be created for decision-making at the policy level, with authority and accountability for the SOC-ESG Project in both local jurisdictions, and multiple partnering agency, and family representation. To ensure that the project is sustainable, adoption by the Health Insurance Administration ("ASES" in Spanish) for treat Medicaid/CHIP eligible children, youth and families will be promoted. Using lessons learned form the pervious projects, the PR SOC-ESG will expand evidence based MH services in the Northern and Southern Regions of PR, and improve MH infrastructures through a Project Governance Body (composed by the project key staff, youth and family members) and two Interagency/Community Committees (ICC), comprised of child serving agencies in the local jurisdictions. One million per year is requested.
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).
