Monday, March 10, 2025
3/10/2025
Meridian’s CMHC project aims to restore and increase engagement and retention of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), serious emotional disturbance (SED) and co-occurring SMI or SED and substance use disorders (COD) whose participation in community-based outpatient services was impacted by the pandemic. Special focus will be on the subpopulation of children whose access to treatment was dependent on school referrals that stopped or were greatly diminished during the pandemic. Through these efforts, the project also aims to reduce the increased utilization of inpatient crisis services that has occurred during the pandemic. The project’s primary geographic area will include two counties with the greatest need in Meridian’s North Central Florida service region: Alachua in the southern portion of the region and Columbia in the north. Demographics for both counties show socioeconomic disparities. Alachua County, population 265,443, is a U.S. Census designated urban county consisting of both urban and rural communities. 21.4% of the county’s residents live in poverty compared to 14.0% statewide. The county’s largest city, Gainesville (population 133,997), has a high overall poverty rate of 30.6% with 8 of its 53 neighborhoods experiencing high concentrated poverty (defined as neighborhoods where 40% or more of the population lives below the poverty line). Columbia County, population 69,968, is a U.S. Census designated 100% rural county with 15.8% of its residents living in poverty. Project goals and objectives include the following: Goal 1: Restore the utilization of community-based outpatient services that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing the engagement of individuals in the geographic focus area. Objective 1A: Increase admissions to outpatient services for persons with SMI, SED and COD by 47% at the end of the project period as compared to the first 10 months (March-December 2020) of the pandemic. Objective 1B: Reach 1,000 individuals annually through restored community outreach activities, with emphasis on reaching vulnerable populations (e.g., minority populations and individuals residing in economically disadvantaged communities). Goal 2: Reduce the utilization of acute crisis services by children and adults that increased during the pandemic. Objective 2A: Reduce admissions into Meridian’s acute, inpatient crisis care by 15% in year 1 of the project period and 20% in year 2. Strategies to achieve these goals and objectives include, but are not limited to, implementing Behavioral Health Teams combining outpatient therapy with intensive, individualized, community-based wraparound supports available 24/7 and supporting a telehealth portal allowing for 24/7 on demand access to services and same and next day appointments to decrease delays to treatment. Under SAMHSA funding, the proposed CMHC project will provide treatment and recovery support services to 500 unduplicated individuals in year 1 of the project period and 500 year 2 for a total of 1,000 unduplicated individuals served over the course of the grant.
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).