Nuevo Amanecer L.A. - Project Abstract Project Title: Nuevo Amanecer L.A. BIENESTAR is proposing to utilize MAI funding to expand substance use disorders (SUD) and/or co-occurring mental disorders (COD) services for low-income, vulnerable, medically underserved racial/ethnic minorities with an emphasis on Latinx and LGBTQ+ residents in Los Angeles County (LAC). BIENESTAR Nuevo Amanecer L.A. (New Dawn L.A.) will increase SUD/Behavioral Health (BH) staff to serve more clients within current practices at its East LA, South LA, San Fernando Valley, and Hollywood sites. BIENESTAR also will begin providing SUD services from its Pomona site, which currently only offers BH services. Finally, this expansion will enable BIENESTAR to offer BH and SUD services via telehealth origination from its Long Beach site. BIENESTAR’s populations of focus are the racial and ethnic minorities throughout LAC who are at high risk for SUD/COD and/or at risk or living with HIV and/or Hepatitis. BIENESTAR’s expertise, developed over three decades focuses on addressing emerging health needs affecting Latinx and LGBTQ+ residents, especially those who are low-income, without medical insurance, and undocumented. BIENESTAR will refer HIV-positive clients identified through its testing programs to its clinical partner, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), for HIV treatment. For clients testing positive for Hepatitis, BIENESTAR will refer them to Via Care Community Health (Via Care), a Federally Qualified Health Center, for treatment. In Year Two, Bienestar plans to deliver both Hepatitis and HIV Treatment directly at Clínica Bienestar, BIENESTAR’s outpatient medical clinic located at the East Los Angeles office. Clients testing negative for HIV and/ or Hepatitis will be referred to PrEP services at Via Care for the first three months of project funding, until January 2023 when BIENESTAR will have two full years’ experience providing PrEP services and will assume the provision of PrEP services. Project clients also will have access to BIENTESTAR’s HIV/Hepatitis Prevention Education and Harm Reduction programs (e.g., syringe exchange, safe sex supplies). Consistent with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, primary care, mental health, counseling and testing, outreach, case management, and patient retention strategies used by BIENESTAR are designed to reduce HIV-related health disparities. The treatment approaches that will be implemented by BIENESTAR include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, all Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) for the treatment of Latinx and others with SUD and/ or COD. The choice of EBPs is intended to reduce clients’ substance abuse, decrease symptoms of mental disorder/illness, expose clients to a sober community to reinforce their recovery, and yield improved HIV and viral hepatitis retention, adherence, and viral suppression outcomes. See the table below for client projections for this project: Number of Unduplicated Individuals to be Served with Grant Funds Year 1:60 Year 2: 80 Year 3: 80 Year 4:100 Year 5:100 Total: 420
