Friday, May 23, 2025
5/23/2025
Webb County Veterans Treatment Program - The Webb County Veterans Treatment Court Program (VTP) is proposing to expand the capacity of the current SAMSHA funded VTP to male and female veterans that have been arrested and have co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders and PTSD, who reside in Webb County and the adjacent rural counties within a 100 mile catchment area of Webb County, which includes Zapata, Jim Hogg, Starr, Duvall and Jim Wells County, and are currently not being serviced due to lack of treatment resources. Furthermore, the VTP will significantly enhance its ability to reduce substance abuse and improve mental health by providing VTP participants who have co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders and mental health issues with Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which has been proven to be effective in decreasing the number of suicide attempts and self-injurious behaviors, as well as improving social adjustment. Additionally, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), will reduce trauma symptoms and treat Post Traumatic Stress and or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Military Sexual Trauma, Moral Injury, Soldier Heart, Combat Stress, and all other after effects of war and military service. Finally, the spouses and family members of VTP participants in Webb County and in the surrounding rural counties will be provided with 18 sessions of the Support and Family Education (SAFE) Program: Mental Health Facts for Families which will also enhance the VTP's ability to serve and provide education and support for family members on mental illness and PTSD, and will serve to augment program recruitment and retention. The baseline of the project is 135, and the project will serve a total of 210 veterans during the 5 year grant period beginning in FY’25. The proposed VTP will employ a veteran’s only docket. The VTP will provide a hybrid model court with a one-stop-shop treatment milieu to treat veterans with individualized treatment for co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders and PTSD through in-house counseling services from Licensed Professional Counselors who are veterans, while adhering to the ten key components of a drug court within the scope of a veteran’s only court docket. The VTP will coordinate and integrate services with the Webb County VA clinic for psychiatric services, medication management, and social services. Specific goals and objectives are to: 1) Promote self-sufficiency by reducing alcohol and drug abuse, and improving mental health through treatment in the VTP; 2) Provide an integrated program of drug treatment, drug abuse education, and rehabilitation services for Veterans in Webb and surrounding counties; 3) Improve mental health and health status for adult Veterans as well as the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases; 4) Promote public safety by reducing recidivism for adult Veterans and 5) Evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the program. The target population is veteran offenders (felony and misdemeanors) who reside in Webb County and the adjacent five rural counties, who have a drug-related crime, or history of alcohol and drug abuse. Participants are Hispanic veterans living below the federal poverty level, whose average age is 29 years, and are unemployed or underemployed. The primary substance of addiction will be alcohol, followed by cocaine, marijuana, and opiates. Finally, 100% of participants have co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders.
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).