The purpose of the boone county ccbhc-pdi project is to expand access to community-based mental health and substance use disorder treatment and support as well as integrated care for individuals with mental or substance use disorders who seeks care, including those with serious mental illnesses (smi), substance use disorders (sud), including opioid use disorder; children and adolescents with a serious emotional disturbance (sed); individuals with a co-occurring disorder (cod); and individuals experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis by implementing a new ccbhc clinic in boone county, arkansas.
Ozark guidance center (ogc) an affiliate of arisa health is the state contracted community mental health center serving 8 counties in northwest arkansas. Ogcs catchment area is inclusive of the ozark mountains region, an area plagued with many problems such poor health, and myriad issues related to substance use and mental illness. The proposed project will target boone county. Boone county is located in the north-central part of the state. The primary site for services provided through the proposed project is 103 e. Crandall ave, harrison ar 72601.
In boone county, social determinants of health contribute to a wide variety of health disparities and inequities and have significantly affected residents well-being and quality of life. With an estimated population of 37,890, boone county has a 13.6 % poverty rate and has a disability rate of 14.2%. The countys challenges are further complicated by factors that influence the countys overall population health including smoking (22.6%), adults with frequent mental distress (19.0%), deaths of despair (50.5/100k), adults in poor general health (23.6%), prevalence of heart disease (6.8%), diabetes prevalence (10.1%), obesity prevalence (33%), preventable hospital admissions among medicare beneficiaries (3,939/100k), and 10% of the population with no health insurance. Additionally, boone county has a documented homeless population of 390 and boone countys violent crime rate (551.2/100k) over doubles the national violent crime rate of 204.5/100k, opioid dispensing rate of 81.20 per 100 people, and 464 narcotic arrests in 2020-2021.
Through the boone county ccbhc-pdi project ozark guidance center aims to improve behavioral health care for children and adults. To this end, ozark guidance has identified 4 project goals. Goal 1: increase access to, and availability of, high-quality comprehensive behavioral health services that are responsive to the needs of boone county residents with smis, seds, suds and cods. Goal 2: support recovery from mental health and substance use disorder challenges by providing ccbhc services and supports in boone county. Goal 3: deliver integrated care for behavioral health and physical health risks and needs. Goal 4: ensure sustainability of ccbhc services in the targeted areas. The project will have a specific focus on addressing behavioral health disparities that exist for racial, ethnic and gender minorities including marshallese, latin americans, and members of the lgbtqia+ community. Moreover, the project will improve outcomes through the provision of evidence-based services and measurement-based care which will help ensure sustainability of services. It is expected that 75 individuals will be served annually and 300 individuals over the project period. Ogc is requesting $4 million to implement this project.