Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Dirne Health Centers, Inc. d/b/a Heritage Health serves low-income, high-need populations across Northern Idaho, with a service area spanning Kootenai, Benewah, and Shoshone counties. This project will center on expanding behavioral health services in the Coeur d’Alene and nearby Post Falls areas of Kootenai County as well as within the rural underserved areas of Benewah and Shoshone County. These counties are characterized by high rates of suicide, adult excess drinking, and opioid use, as well as prevalent mental health diagnoses for anxiety and depression, and low rates of mental health service utilization compared with the level of need. With behavioral health services accounting for a significant percentage of Heritage Health’s service provision, and a lengthy history of providing these services in the community, we are recognized as an established leader in providing a wide array of mental health and SUD services. Still, the need for our services severely outstrips our current capacity, and we continue to evolve to increase our ability to meet patient demand. Heritage Health’s Behavioral Health Service Expansion (BHSE) project will take on a multi-pronged approach to increasing the number of patients receiving mental health services and increasing the number of patients receiving substance use disorder (SUD) services, including patients receiving treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). For the proposed project, Heritage Health will utilize HRSA funds to hire additional behavioral health and recovery support professionals, expanding the health center’s capacity to serve patients in need of mental health and SUD services. Our program will also utilize funds to transition our behavioral health services to one unified electronic health record (EHR) that shares information across all behavioral health services (including psychiatry, SUD treatment and recovery, and neurobehavioral services, all of which currently use different systems) along with primary care to better serves our patients and purchasing equipment such as patient kiosks. By investing in switching to an EHR that more seamlessly interfaces across our service lines, we will have an improved ability to identify and connect patients with care who are identified as in need of behavioral health services. Adding supporting IT support and physical infrastructure, such as patient kiosks, will reduce patient communication barriers and streamline their experience. Additional investments in IT solutions such as Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) documentation supports and recovery applications (“apps”) will also improve staff efficiency, alleviating the workforce shortage experienced by Heritage, while improving patient experience. The project will also include increasing time available for a provider who is able to prescribe MOUD to travel to rural St. Maries in Benewah County, as well the addition of a new Behavioral Health Medical Assistant that will allow Heritage Health to pilot an “open access” MOUD clinic model to eliminate the barriers to entry that long wait times and scheduling provide to individuals who are ready to begin their recovery. New Peer Support/Recovery Coach staff will assist SUD patients with achieving patient-led care plan goals and assisting patients in accessing needed services. Heritage Health’s BHSE program will help facilitate an immediate improvement in the number of patients receiving mental health, SUD, and MOUD services while also laying the groundwork for strong, consistent growth in our ability to serve the needs of the most vulnerable of Northern Idaho. Funds will also be used for the recruitment and retention of critically needed mental health and SUD staff within Heritage Health and to respond to the significant behavioral health workforce shortage experienced within North Idaho.
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).