Friday, November 22, 2024
11/22/2024
The Erie County Health Department (ECHD) and its consortium members propose to utilize the Strategic Prevention Framework to strengthen the capacity of Erie County’s high-risk rural communities to implement and sustain mental health and behavioral health prevention, treatment, and recovery services. The population of focus is individuals (adult and children/youth) residing in Erie County struggling with on-going behavioral health issues or experiencing a crisis event including, but not limited to, overdose, Substance Use Disorder/Opiate Use Disorder (SUD/OUD), Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED), Serious Mental Illness (SMI), and Co-Occurring Disorder (COD). The defined geographic catchment is Erie County, Ohio, population 74,852. Per the U.S. Census Bureau 88% of the population is Caucasian, 11% is Black/African American, and 4% Hispanic. Sandusky, the most populous town in the service area, has a population of 25,000; 67% are Caucasian, 23% Black/African American, and 7% Hispanic. The poverty rate within the city limits is 21%, significantly higher than county (11.6%) and state (13.4%) rates. This instability feeds directly into addiction rates as those who struggle to find and keep stable employment are at a higher risk of substance abuse according to the National Institutes of Health. Within the service area are 14 mental health or substance abuse service providers: 3 provide Mental Health Services, 9 offer varying levels of mental health and/or SUD treatment, and 6 provide M.A.T. and/or SUD treatment, however, there remain barriers to care as most residents live in rural areas with limited access to these services or providers. The project aligns with the Healthy People 2030 Initiative by focusing on the reduction of preventable death/injury related to substance use disorders. In this rural service area, treatment and recovery programs are not easily accessible because of the distance between program locations, long wait times to enter programs, and a lack of public transportation to and from these locations. Service Gap: This project fills a void that exists in access to behavioral and mental health care services. Erie County is an HRSA-designated rural area and both a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and Medically Underserved Community (MUC). The ECHD has identified three over-arching goals for this project: 1) By September 30, 2024, foster inter-agency collaboration to increase access to behavioral and mental health services to be measured through the establishment of a coordinated referral system among agencies and organizations in the rural county; 2) by September 30, 2028, enhance community-wide communication and education through the facilitation of regular information-sharing and collaborative efforts among agencies and organizations to result in educational workshops and training sessions that will reach a minimum of 500 residents within the rural county to improve community awareness and knowledge about behavioral and mental health; 3) by September 30, 2028, strengthen local workforce capacity through collaborative training initiatives to certify 10 local healthcare professionals in evidence-based behavioral and mental health practices within the rural county, fostering collaboration and ensuring a well-equipped workforce to provide quality services to the community.
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).
