Thursday, May 1, 2025
5/1/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - The behavioral health needs throughout PHI’s service are significant and expansive. There is an overwhelming need for increased access to mental health services, including counseling, therapy, and psychiatric care. Many individuals in these counties experience depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other mental health conditions and require professional support. Substance abuse and addiction are significant issues, particularly in access to effective treatment programs, including detoxification, counseling, and support groups. • Certain populations, such as low-income individuals, veterans, students, seniors, and individuals with disabilities, face barriers to accessing behavioral health services. Mitigating these barriers to care is essential. Addressing these needs requires coordination and collaboration between healthcare providers, community organizations, government agencies, and individuals and families affected by behavioral health issues. All counties for PHI’s service area have been identified with a HPSA score of 24 for mental health. In 2022, Citrus County experienced 36 drug overdose related deaths, Marion County experienced 40 drug overdose related deaths, and Sumter County experienced 17 drug overdose related deaths, most of which is above the state of Florida average of 27 drug overdose related deaths. On average, in all counties, 16.7% of residents report 14+ poor mental health days per month. Each county has fewer Behavioral Health (BH) professionals per 100,000 residents. In Citrus County, there are 69.7, in Marion County, there are 83.8, and in Sumter County, there are 54.9 BH professionals per 100,000 residents, all of which pale in comparison to the average 130.4 BH professionals for the state of Florida. The state of Florida rate per 100,000 for deaths from suicide is 15 - Citrus County’s rate is 31.8, Marion County’s rate is 22.7, and Sumter County’s rate is 14.5. Students (kindergarten thru 12th grade) in these counties are also impacted by emotional/behavioral health conditions at a higher rate than the state average of 457.9 - Citrus County is at 660.7, Marion County is at 702.1, and Sumter County is at 565.5. PHI has been actively working throughout our service area to make an impact on this need. We propose to utilize $600,000 in year one to expand staffing and make minor renovations to current administrative space. We propose federal funding in year two of $500,000. This application proposes to add professionals and to expand programs across county lines to serve an estimated 1,200 additional behavioral patients per annum by the end of year two of the grant. This increase is based upon the annual patients seen by the same types of providers which we will be adding with this funding. Our ability to meet this goal is supported by robust increases in our most recently completed fiscal year on March 31, 2024. We increased patients 20.9%, unduplicated patients 28.9% and behavioral patients 49.1%. In Citrus County, where we intend to repurpose administrative space, we increased patients 45.8%, unduplicated patients 39.9% and behavioral patients 138.0%. This application proposes to continue to expand meeting the needs of our populations efficiently, effectively and in a collaborative fashion with our communities and partners.
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).