Project AIM - Bailey House, Inc’s Project AIM will serve Black and Latinx men and women aged 18 and over in Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx with a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) or Co-occurring Disorder (COD), by utilizing lessons learned from its initial Project AIM award (funded under SM-18-004) to further strengthen hepatitis C (HCV) testing, enhance support groups, and increase its repertoire of evidence-based practices (EBPs). Project AIM will be implemented in Bailey House’s Park Avenue Behavioral Health Center in East Harlem and will serve the following geographic catchment areas of New York City (NYC): Central and East Harlem in Upper Manhattan; and Hunts Point/Mount Haven, Highbridge/Morrisania, Crotona – Tremont, Hunts Point – Mott Haven, and Fordham-Bronx Park in the South Bronx. Nearly 900,00 individuals reside in the service area, many of whom are low-income and are disproportionately impacted by behavioral health disorders. Overall, 55% identify as Hispanic/Latino and 31% identify as Black; just over one-third (35%) of the population is foreign born; and nearly two-thirds (61%) of the service area speak a language other than English at home. Roughly 35% of households in the service area live below the federal poverty level (FPL); and most Bailey House clients live below 100% of the FPL. Residents in the service area also have significantly higher rates of mental illness and substance use compared to NYC. Depression rates in the South Bronx (16.9%) and East Harlem (21.4%) are over twice as high than NYC (8.9%), and drug-related hospitalizations and mortality rates in service area are among the highest in the city. Nearly all service area neighborhoods are designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) for primary medical care, mental health care, and dental care, as well as Medically Underserved Areas (MUA). In 2020, the service area accounted for 21.8% of all new NYC HIV diagnoses, with Black and Latinx individuals accounting for 94.1% of those newly diagnosed; the service area neighborhoods also have higher HCV rates than all of NYC, with Morrisania and Crotona having the third highest rates out of all 42 UHF neighborhoods (131.0 per 100,000). BH proposes to serve 295 individuals through increased HCV testing; continued robust case management; expanded recreational and support groups to improve social connectedness among enrolled clients; and an added trauma-informed care approach along with the SAMHSA Anger Management EBP to its existing suite of EBPs which include Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral, and Treatment (SBIRT) with Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques, Wellness Self-Management Plus (WSM+), Seeking Safety, and Healthy Living Project (HLP). Importantly, BH will integrate Project AIM with the agency’s recently awarded NYC Health Department-funded PlaySure Network award, a status-neutral, sex-positive approach to HIV, HCV, and STI testing and linkage to services program. Project AIM’s goal is to reduce the incidence of HIV, HCV, and improve overall mental health outcomes for individuals with SMI or COD among the population of focus. By the end of the project, 75% of clients completing Seeking Safety or WSM+ will report increased use of positive coping skills, 75% of clients completing SAMHSA Anger Management will report increased use of anger management skills; and 75% of clients completing HLP will report increased knowledge on sexual risk behaviors. In addition, 75% of enrolled clients will complete at least one behavioral health-related follow-up visit based on recommended services documented at intake; and substance use and symptoms of depression and anxiety by 10%.
