South Shore Mental Health dba Aspire Health Alliance (Aspire) is a community behavioral health (BH) care provider serving Southeastern Massachusetts. Aspire believes that there is no health without mental health (MH). Our history and mission are founded on serving two key vulnerable groups: 1) children who have experienced developmental delays, trauma, or harm resulting in profound emotional distress; and 2) adults with the most serious, persistent MH challenges. Using Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Expansion Funds, Aspire will: 1) Increase access to timely, high quality care through tele-mental health and evidence-based, effective, person-and family-centered services for youth ages 8-16 and their families; and 2) Provide comprehensive care and support services to clients with co-occurring SUD and SMI aged 16 + in order to increase service engagement and foster long-term recovery. Aspire will serve 715 total unduplicated individuals through two identified program goals. Mental health was "overwhelmingly identified" as the leading health issue in South Shore Health's Community Health Needs Assessment, with specific concerns about "prevalence of anxiety and stress among youth and adolescents" and "co-morbidity among those with substance use disorder issues." Substance use was the second leading health issue with concerns about access to care. The region's limited BH service system further exacerbates these unmet needs. With CCBHC expansion funds, Aspire and its Designated Collaborating Organizations will offer and/or expand all required activities. Specifically, Aspire will improve access to care for youth aged 8 to16 though an expansion of telehealth services, reduce service wait times, and ensure staff are trained on the latest and emerging best practices in telehealth. Aspire will also address the unique needs and challenges of serving individuals with co-occurring SUD/SMI by expanding comprehensive care and support services, hiring and training clinicians to improve capacity to diagnose SUD/SMI and provide integrated care and treatment, and hiring peer support workers to provide support, encouragement, and referrals. The primary evidence-based practices that Aspire will use are Motivational Interviewing and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, as well as Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for use with youth and families. Aspire will collect NOMS for unduplicated clients meeting enrollment criteria at required intervals. Clinicians will conduct the NOMS intake, and Family Partners and Peer Support Specialists will conduct reassessments and discharge. The CCBHC Data Coordinator will enter NOMS data into SPARS. The Evaluation Advisors will review performance data quarterly to assess progress on CCBHC performance measures; NOMS follow-up rates; and progress toward objectives. Evaluation Advisors will also review and analyze other project data on a monthly basis, meet with the team to assess progress and identify challenges needing to be addressed, complete required progress reports, and assess progress on identified BH disparities.
