Wednesday, April 24, 2024
4/24/2024
St. John’s Well Child and Family Center’s TransYouthConnect program (TYC) will integrate, enhance, and expand screening, assessment, evidence-based clinical and nonclinical treatment services, and recovery support services for substance use disorder and co-occurring mental disorders (SU/coMD) among transgender/gender non-conforming (TGNC) young adults ages 18-25 (TGNCY) in South Los Angeles. This program will be the youth-specific offshoot of St. John’s Trans Health Program which has been in operation for more than 6 years. More than 75% of TYP will be people of color; approximately 15% are homeless and 27% are immigrants; 47% are transmen, 47% transwomen and 6% nonbinary. All are low-income. TGNCY experience SU/coMD at disproportionately high rates compared to the general population, with extremely high rates of posttraumatic stress, as a result of experiences of poly-victimization, discrimination, and depression and anxiety due to struggles with gender dysphoria. Serving younger TGNC people provides an opportunity to interrupt SUD and support them to improve their health, functioning and stability through collaborative, comprehensive, trauma-informed and recovery-based treatment and peer-driven wraparound services. Strategies include incorporating SU/coMD treatment into a menu of trans-specific services that TCNGY actively seek, such as name/gender change services and surgery referrals, providing services in a safe, welcoming ‘medical home’ setting, coordinating and systematizing care in ways that support retention, providing incentives and assistance with transportation, and incorporating economic/professional development services. St. John’s will continue its success of implementing the EBP Seeking Safety with the TGNC community. Objectives include: ensuring that staff have all training they need to conduct services in a way that is trans-affirming and culturally competent; linking positive screens immediately into care coordination services, where TGNCY will work with a provider on a treatment and recovery plan; ensuring high rates of retention in Seeking Safety and clinical services; and increasing a sense of hope, functioning, self-efficacy, social connection/inclusion among participants. A total of 1,000 unduplicated TGNCY will be served by TYC. Annually, TYC will screen 875 unduplicated patients, and 350 will access one or more SU/coMD services.
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).
