Friday, November 22, 2024
11/22/2024
The CMHC grant funds the Western Arkansas Counseling & Guidance Center (WACGC) CCBHC to restore and enhance services impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to 1,000 individuals in 6 Arkansas counties with mental and/or behavioral health disorders, including opioid and other substance abuse disorders. The WACGC CCBHC catchment area is comprised of 6 predominantly rural counties in western Arkansas: Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Polk, Scott and Sebastian. The diverse geographic area is extremely rural with the urbanization concentrated in Fort Smith. All 6 counties are HRSA-designated Medically Underserved Areas and Health Professional Shortage Areas in the primary health and behavioral health domains. The catchment area is racially and ethnically diverse at about 83% white, 7% Black or African-American, 5% Asian, and 2% Native American. Moreover, about 14% of residents are Hispanic. The target population is comprised of children (0+) with SED and persons of all ages who have or are at risk for: 1) SMI, 2) SUD, including opioid disorders, and 3) COD. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a plethora of barriers and service gaps affecting the availability of early intervention and timely access of physical and mental health treatment for individuals dealing with crises, SED, SMI, SUD and/or COD. The pandemic and subsequent service gaps have worsened pre-existing mental health conditions in our target population due to an overall decline in availability and thus utilization of crisis services services due to inaccessibility of services; agency closures; reductions in staffing and service delivery; mental health professional and therapist compassion fatigue, burnout, and turnover; and residents continued general fear of contracting COVID. School-based groups and services have been shuttered; crisis screenings have declined; the availability of CSU beds has been halved; the number of new admissions to the agency is down 50% from 1 year ago; jail admissions have decreased; adult and child day treatment programs have been closed for safety; and group therapy has not resumed agency-wide, including group therapy at school, inpatient, outpatient, and those for SUD and COD. The measurable goals and objectives of the project address five main ares of need in the wake of the pandemic: 1) Service gaps for walk-in clients in need of immediate care; 2) Crisis stabilization and crisis response; 3) School-based services; 4) Caseload reductions, compassion fatigue and burnout; and 5) Training for clinical and non-clinical staff. WACGC will restore services to 1,000 people in the target populations (Y1: 500; Y2: 500), through the hiring of 43 clinical and non-clinical personnel (Y1,Y2); enhancement of the current technological infrastructure (Y1); renovation of physical space at the Fort Smith campus to create confidential space for telehealth appointments and for the intern clinic (Y1); re-establish community partnerships with LEOs, jails, and courts (Y1,Y2); the creation of an intern clinic for BSW and MSW students (Y1); and through extensive EBP training for clinical and non-clinical staff including ACT team, Trauma-Informed Care, Play Therapy, ACT, etc. (Y1,Y2) in an effort to better equip staff to deal with the ongoing mental health crises caused by the pandemic.
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).
