Migrant Health Center, Western Region, Inc. (herein MHC) is a rural FQHC Community Based 330 (g)(e)(b) program, SAMHSA, CDC, AIDS UNITED and HAB provider and is Patient Centered Medical Home NCQA certified. The Center began its operation in April 1971, serving Migrant and Seasonal farmworkers and their dependents in two (2) municipalities. In 1986 the program was incorporated as a non-profit organization under the laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (PR), with its own Board of Directors, which is currently composed of 13 members representatives of the communities we serve. MHC Inc., serves municipalities in the western, northwestern and southwestern region of PR, with 11 (11) clinics strategically located in the municipalities of Mayaguez, San Sebastian, Guanica, Isabela, Lajas, Maricao, Las Marias and Yauco serving over 30,000 patients. MHC provides: primary health care, dental, pharmacy, laboratory, family, Internal, Pediatric medicine, OB/GYN, mental health (MH) , nutrition, health education, transportation, outreach, case management (CM), urgency care, among other. The Center is the only health care provider in the region that has expanded its delivery of service providing substance abuse, MH and HIV prevention for Young Men who have sex with men (YMSM) and transgender youth, free primary health and dental services for the homeless, HIV treatment for People Living with HIV/AIDS, Medically Assisted Treatment for people with opioid use disorders and HIV prevention and needle exchange services for Injecting Drug Users (IDU), all under one roof.Our mission is centered on providing high quality, evidence based, comprehensive primary health care service that are accessible to the populations we serve in a sensitive, culturally competent and cost effective manner based on the patient’s needs, regardless of their capacity to pay. In 2017, the PR Health and Addiction Services Administration conducted a study to monitor the substance use among the islands youth. According to the study, the substances most reported were; alcohol 44.5%; marihuana 12.1%; tobacco 9%; synthetic marihuana 5%; non-prescription pills 4.2%; and inhalants 3.9%. Males reported the use of all substances more frequently than females. In addition, only 16.9% of adolescents were asked for identification the last time they went to purchase alcohol. In terms of sexual behaviors, 50.2% reported having had sexual relations before the age of 15, with only 25% reporting the use of some type of protection. MHC is proposing to provide services to Latino youth ages 13 to 24 at highest risk for HIV and substance use disorders living in the municipalities of San Juan, Aguadilla Ponce and Mayaguez. The program proposes to use a navigation approach (Community Health Workers, Neighborhood Navigators, and Peer Support Specialists) to expedite services for these populations. The Project will deploy the motivational interview and trauma informed approach evidence-Based Practice. This practice will be supported by other services that our Project will provide such as; substance misuse prevention education, HIV prevention, HIV and viral Hepatitis testing, linkage to treatment and care, condom distribution, community health fairs, among other. Our main goal is to provide substance abuse and HIV prevention activities as well to navigate and link individuals to care for HIV and substance misuse. MHC proposes to serve 1,000 (200 clients in a yearly basis) unduplicated target clients in the entire project period. Through this proposal, MHC, Inc. is requesting the amount of $200,000 per year.
