Saturday, December 21, 2024
12/21/2024
Family Health Centers of San Diego, Inc. (FHCSD) (H80CS00224) will increase the number of patients receiving mental health (MH) and substance use disorder (SUD) services, including medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), by 2025 (11.3% in MH, 5.7% in SUD, and 34.8% in MOUD) by enhancing its staff capabilities through recruitment and additional training. Needs: MH and substance use crises, along with substantial inequity in access to care, are of significant concern in San Diego County. In 2022, about 30% of the population required help for emotional/mental health problems or alcohol/drug use, with an overall increasing trend over the years. Across FHCSD, of the 159,114 patients served in 2023, 14% received MH and 1.12% received SUD services, marking respective increases of 28% and 32% since 2018. Furthermore, San Diego County faces a severe shortage of behavioral health (BH) workers, compromising its ability to provide MH and SUD services effectively. A 2022 report indicates that the region employs around 17,000 BH professionals, 8,000 fewer than the required 25,000, leading to an unmet need for care of over 6% for MH and SUD services. Projections suggest a need to hire 1,641 by 2027, an increase of 656 positions. FHCSD, one of the nation’s largest Federally Qualified Health Centers, also experiences ongoing challenges in recruiting BH professionals. Our patient population is highly diverse and vulnerable, with 75% living at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and 89% below 200%, 27% uninsured, 77% racial and/or ethnic minorities, 39% best served in a language other than English, and 16.5% without homes. In 2023 alone, we served 21,770 MH, 1,777 SUD, and 627 MOUD patients. Proposed Services: To strengthen our system capacity to meet the growing needs of our community, our main priority is expanding our BH workforce, specifically at our new stand-alone BH clinic sites, to ensure an adequate provider supply for integrative and comprehensive BH care. This includes recruiting additional Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists, and SUD Counselors. Specialized, comprehensive, and integrated training will be offered to enhance BH professionals' skills in providing MH and SUD services, including pain management while serving as an incentive to promote these positions and address recruitment challenges. Using the Collaborative Care Model to enhance integrative care, FHCSD plans to expand services by integrating its existing MH and SUD/MOUD programs with current and soon-to-expand physical therapy (PT) capabilities to address chronic pain alongside BH needs. This integration will ensure a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to patient care. Our Integrated Case Consultation group will include MH, SUD, and PT staff and professionals to address collaborative treatment plans for patients while monitoring and evaluating their goals and progress. As a result of these initiatives, we expect to serve an additional 2,470 patients for MH, 102 for SUD, and 218 for MOUD by 2025. These efforts align seamlessly with our priorities of expanding access to care, improving quality of care, and addressing health disparities holistically among our MH and SUD/MOUD patients. Populations to be served: This initiative is part of a broader strategy to improve specific clinical outcomes and advance health equity among our predominantly low-income and underserved patient population. FHCSD serves an average of 20,000 MH, 1,500 SUD, and 480 MOUD patients annually through 21 BH facilities across San Diego County, including 3 outpatient SUD treatment centers, 16 free-standing MH centers with 3 centers dedicated to children and youth, 2 mobile counseling centers, and a mobile MOUD program. Our focus population consists of racially and ethnically diverse, low-income individuals and families with MH and SUD/MOUD needs across our care system in San Diego County, California, with particular focus on our new BH clinic sites.
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).