Friday, April 26, 2024
4/26/2024
The Wheeler Youth and Family TREE Program will expand and enhance care for transitional aged youth (TAY) age 16-25 with substance use disorders, and their families, in Hartford, Connecticut. Services will include significant outreach and engagement/retention efforts, evidence-based individual and group therapy, Medication Assisted Treatment, and linkage to recovery supports. Family engagement and care coordination will be a key component of care. Wheeler Clinic, a leading behavioral health service provider in Connecticut, will implement the TREE Program at its Hartford Family Health & Wellness Center, a federally qualified health center and community mental health center. The target population was selected due to community and population-specific risk. Hartford has one of the nation’s highest child poverty rates. The city is diverse: 38% of residents identify as African-American and 44% identify as Latino/a. From 2012-2017 Hartford had more accidental drug overdoses than any other city in CT. TAY have been a very challenging population to engage and retain in treatment services. Strategies and Interventions: The TREE Program will focus efforts on community outreach and screening of TAY who come into the health center to identify TAY with substance use disorders; provide Motivational Interviewing specifically adapted for TAY Engagement and Retention in Treatment; peer support for TAY and care coordination for family members; a range of evidence-based practices for substance use and tobacco cessation; Medication Assisted Treatment for alcohol use and opioid use disorder, as clinically indicated; and linkage to recovery supports in the community. Goals and Objectives: The TREE Program will (1) expand outreach and early identification of substance misuse or risk of substance misuse in TAY through a dedicated community outreach worker, screening by a clinician housed within Wheeler’s primary care services unit, and screening through Wheeler’s behavioral health intake; (2) increase engagement and retention of TAY in substance use treatment: eight staff (Youth Service/Recovery Support Coordinator, a Primary Care Behavioral Health Consultant, and four clinicians) will be trained in MI for TAY Engagement and Retention in Treatment and significant increases in TAY retention in treatment; (3) increase recovery supports for family members: all family members will be offered access to behavioral health, primary care, dental, and tobacco cessation services at the Health & Wellness Center and connected to community supports to assist in their recovery needs. The TREE Program will serve 50 TAY, and their families, in year 1 and 100 TAY, and their families, in years 2-5 for a total of 450 TAY plus family members during the 5-year grant period.
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).
