Tuesday, May 7, 2024
5/7/2024
Casa Esperanza Inc.’s proposed Salud y Esperanza (Health & Hope): Treatment when you need it, where you need it will develop a bilingual/bicultural, Behavioral Health Urgent Care program at Casa Esperanza that can serve as a front door for Latinx with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders to get connected to the right treatment in real time. In addition to providing critical in-person services, the project will help expand our telehealth capacity to allow Casa to fill state-wide gaps in addiction and mental health treatment in communities that do not currently have adequate access to Spanish-language and culturally responsive treatment. We aim to serve 200 adults per year for the two years of the grant. Goals of Salud &Esperanza include: (1) Expand clinic hours to improve access to, and increase utilization of, mental health, substance abuse treatment, and primary care for Latinxs with co-occurring disorders ; (2) Provide case management services to support clients’ full engagement in the development, implementation and completion of goals in their care plan; (3) Provide recovery support services to help increase knowledge of community resources; increase capacity for self-management; and identify and reduce risky behavior; (4) Partner with local law enforcement and hospitals to develop a multiple intercept model that promotes alternatives to hospitalization and incarceration. Casa is the only provider in Eastern Massachusetts to offer a full continuum of integrated, evidence-based, Spanish-language behavioral health services including Recovery Support services and Telehealth. Casa fills an urgent gap in linguistically and culturally accessible SUD and COD treatment for Latinx patients. Our patients experience hardship from lifelong trauma, homelessness, poverty, and systemic discrimination. Many are medically frail, facing a greater risk of infection from diseases like COVID-19. Most (80%) of our patients are monolingual Spanish speakers or individuals with limited or no English. Nearly all (95%) are homeless or under-housed. Most (71%) have received prescriptions for psychological/emotional treatment. Of the 31% who received prior treatment for mental health, 98% meet criteria for serious mental illness: PTSD (95%), depression (55%), anxiety (61.4%), suicidal ideation (15%), and 3% have made a suicide attempt. All struggle with social determinants of health such as linguistic barriers, poverty, involvement with the criminal justice system, and chronic medical conditions. These ongoing barriers, compounded by physical distancing and social isolation due to COVID-19, place our patients at an even greater risk of relapse and overdose.
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).
