Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
Riverside Community Care, a non-profit behavioral healthcare center proposes, Meeting Increased Community Behavioral Health Needs through Expanded Access, in response to the surging need for mental health and substance use services since the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will increase clinical and peer staff and expand available hours to make vital services accessible to hundreds of people who are currently unable to access care. Riverside stretched its resources and provided 10,000 more outpatient behavioral health services in the high-demand Norwood and Milford areas of Massachusetts to better address community need during the first year of the pandemic; despite this, the growing call for help demands more support. This project would enable Riverside Outpatient Centers to serve at least 300 more individuals of all ages with Serious Mental Illness (SMI), Severe Emotional Disturbance (SED), and Co-occurring Disorders (COD) each year in this 2-year program by adding increased clinical, medical and peer professionals, expanding medication services and hours, and enhancing technological capability to address needs quickly and thoroughly. Expansion of our outpatient services is at the crux of our project proposal. With many individuals with SMI experiencing exacerbation of symptoms during the pandemic, there are also many seeking behavioral healthcare for the first time due to SED. To address both, we will add brief treatment therapists (youth/family, adult, and trilingual) who utilize evidence-based practices like CBT to address mild-moderate anxiety, depression, and adjustment disorders (SED) to provide focused, shorter-term treatment with a high level of care coordination. This allows our other therapists to work with individuals with SMI who need longer-term treatment. Increasing access to Medication Assisted Treatment, particularly urgent access to induction, is key to addressing increased opioid overdoses in our area. Nursing and medical assistants will join our team to support withdrawal management and medical care coordination. We will also be expanding our psychiatric prescribing and consultation capacity during evenings and weekends through utilization of telepsychiatry with Genoa Healthcare, our dedicated pharmacy provider. A peer/recovery coach with lived experience will be in our outpatient milieus, providing support to individuals focused on decreasing stigma and removing barriers to care. We will enhance our technological capabilities focused on increasing access and quality of care. We will invest in a platform to share records like labs and hospital admissions securely and in real-time. Training and staff support using evidence-based practices will provide the education and care that our staff need to provide optimal care. We will leverage the Riverside Trauma Center to provide trauma-informed care training and consultation, including focus on using a trauma-informed lens with SBIRT screening. Trauma Center will provide access to EMDR certification training and a monthly staff coping group with a unique Nervous System Stabilization approach.
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).
