Thursday, June 8, 2023
6/8/2023
Crisis 2 Connection: Expanding the Care Continuum into the Community’s goal is to provide safe, effective crisis care that diverts people in distress from emergency departments and jail by expanding the continuum of crisis care services that match people’s clinical needs and connect them to services that will prevent future crises. It targets any person experiencing a mental illness or substance use crisis in Montgomery County, Maryland. The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services currently provides individuals with serious mental illness or substance use disorders; children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance; and individuals with co-occurring mental and substance disorders culturally appropriate, person and family-centered behavioral health care services 24/7 at its Crisis Clinic. It will expand the number of Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams (MCOTs) as the most efficient and effective way to reach the 25,416 individuals who need crisis services annually. The proposed expansion will serve a total of 8,638 unduplicated individuals over the course of the two-year period, with 566 unduplicated crisis interventions in year one and an additional 966 crisis interventions in year two. Critical incident response will serve a total of 112 individuals over the two-year period, and 6,964 Crisis Center walk-ins will be treated: 2,512 will receive services in year one and an additional 4,452 walk-ins will be treated at the Crisis Center in year two. The goals and measurable objectives of the project are to: increase the number of behavioral health or substance use crisis intervention requests responded to by the (MCOTs) by 80%; increase the number of clients who receive health assessments and infectious disease testing and vaccinations; maintain contact with, monitor and refer 50% more crisis clients to ensure they end up in a safe and appropriate service environment or recover from the crisis; and increase the number of crisis clients diverted from admission to emergency departments and correctional facilities by 10%. Peer support is a key component of the MCOT strategy as the lived experience of recovery from mental illness and/or addiction is powerful proof that there is hope for clients in crisis. Other evidence-based practices to be used by the MCOTs and the Crisis Center to address the complex needs of individuals during a mental health or substance use crisis include: Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, Family Psychoeducation, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Therapy.
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).
