Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Capstone Health, a Nurse-Managed Community Health Center, operates across Walker and Winston County, Alabama since 2001. Since achieving grantee status in 2007, Capstone Health has been dedicated to delivering comprehensive care through its seven patient care locations which include two school-based service sites, two pharmacies, and five primary care centers and is currently a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognize by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). For more than two decades, Capstone Health has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of numerous challenges. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored a critical need to expand its behavioral health team. The rural setting further exacerbates the scarcity of mental health providers, making this expansion even more urgent in the wake of the pandemic. Walker County remains at the forefront of overdose events and deaths since the opioid epidemic first became headline news. Many of the county’s rural communities do not have access to general health care, much less treatment for opioid use disorder treatment. This proposed project aims to address the critical shortage of mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services in Walker and Winston Counties, Alabama. Our objectives are twofold: First, Capstone Health seeks to enhance access to comprehensive mental health care, ensuring that more individuals receive the support and treatment they need. Second, Capstone Health aims to expand its capacity to deliver high-quality SUD services, addressing the pressing issue of substance abuse that has been exacerbated by the opioid epidemic. Walker County epitomizes the challenges faced by the Appalachian coal mining communities still grappling with the long-term impacts of the opioid epidemic. Alarming statistics highlight the significant healthcare gap in these impoverished rural areas. Alabama leads the nation in opioid prescribing rates, and Walker County once had the highest death rate due to drug poisoning. High levels of poverty in the county have led to an increased risk of many chronic conditions, inadequate nutrition, lack of healthcare access, greater academic achievement gaps, and depression. Walker County residents experienced poor physical and mental health days at higher rates than the Alabama average, and this issue is especially significant in a rural community already designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as Medically Underserved. According to the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings, adults in Walker County reported poor mental health on 6.2 days of the previous 30 days, compared to the national average of 4.8 days of the previous 30 days. The high rates of depression among Medicare recipients and substance abuse struggles among Medicaid recipients underscore the urgent need for comprehensive behavioral health services. Additionally, Walker County ranks 37th out of 220 counties most at risk for AIDS or Hepatitis C according to the CDC and has one of the highest rates of drug-related overdoses in Alabama based on public health data. In response, Capstone Health is amplifying efforts to strengthen its behavioral health team, aiming to make a meaningful impact on the community's well-being. This initiative incorporates recruiting additional mental health professionals including counselors, social workers, and substance abuse treatment providers as well as addressing wage disparities to attract and retain a high-quality workforce. With the requested funding, Capstone Health will implement the strategies detailed in this application to provide equitable access to essential mental health and SUD services, ultimately improving the health outcomes and quality of life for the most vulnerable populations in our 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).