FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Project Director Name: Sam Miller Contact Phone Number: 815-490-1737 Contact Email Address: smiller@crusaderhealth.org Website: https://www.crusaderhealth.org Health Center Program Grant Number: H80CS00113 Address: 1200 W State St., Rockford, IL 61102 Founded in 1972, Crusaders Central Clinic Association dba Crusader Community Health (CCH) is the largest safety net provider of primary health care in the greater northern Illinois region. CCH is a Federally Qualified Health Center, a designated Healthcare for the Homeless (HCH) provider, and a Federal Ryan White, Part C, grant recipient. CCH’s services focus on the medical, behavioral health and dental needs of patients, particularly those individuals who face challenges in accessing health care including low income, minority, underserved, homeless, and at-risk populations. CCH’s catchment area consists of Boone and Winnebago counties in Illinois. Winnebago has retained its industrial and manufacturing roots, even as many companies shuttered during economic recessions in previous years. The focus is now on aerospace, manufacturing, logistics, and robotics. The county’s seat, Rockford, is where most of the population is concentrated. While the area is predominantly white, Hispanic residents now make-up the fastest growing minority group in the service area. CCH’s patients are more racially and ethnically diverse than the population of the service area. Approximately 26% of the patients are White, 27% are Black/African American, and 36% are of Hispanic ethnicity. The racial breakout of CCH’s patients experiencing homelessness is 35% White, 36% Black/African American, and 23% Hispanic ethnicity. In 2023, CCH served 62,357 unique patients of which 36% were Hispanic. 632 (1%) patients were experiencing homelessness and 2,460 (4%) of services were provided via school-based programming. According to the 2023 UDS, CCH reported serving 3,143 unique patients with a mental health diagnosis in 2023 and 0 patients with a substance use disorder diagnosis, a strategic initiative of CCH as the Health Center pursues BHSE funding. Services include mental health assessment and diagnosis, brief solution focused therapy as well as evidenced based ongoing therapy for appropriate patients, psychiatry evaluation, medication prescribing and monitoring and consultation with medical and behavioral health providers, substance use disorder assessment and referral, treatment of co-occurring disorders, including MAT services, and case management. CCH offers on-site, integrated behavioral health services across the five main Health Center locations. While behavioral health services are available to the patients at the school-based health centers and the Rosecrance site, the providers are not on-site. CCH will leverage HRSA BHSE funds to increase access to behavioral health services through the expansion of mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services. Project activities include: - Leveraging community partnerships to better serve underserved populations (those who are uninsured, persons experiencing homelessness); - Integrating primary care, dental, and behavioral health, conducting assessments and connecting clients with Community Connections, which includes the HCH staff, to expand access to supportive services; - Go beyond providing medical care by addressing social determinants of health through community collaborations (housing insecurity, food insecurity, financial strain); - Expand the role of primary care providers in the use of FDA-approved medications for treatment of opioid use disorder through training and education; - Hire additional behavioral health staff to expand access, meet the growing demand. Program goals to be achieved via the project activities listed above include: - Increase the number of patients receiving mental health services; and - Increase the number of patients receiving SUD services, including treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)
