Monday, April 7, 2025
4/7/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Project Title: Lamprey Health Care Behavioral Health Service Expansion Org. Website: http://www.lampreyhealth.org/ Health Center Program: Grant No. H80CS00640 Established in 1971, Lamprey Health Care is New Hampshire’s first Section 330 Federally Qualified Health Center. Our mission is to provide high quality primary medical care and health related services to all individuals and families regardless of ability to pay. Care is provided with an emphasis on prevention and lifestyle management. In calendar year 2023, we served 15,801 patients from over 50 communities in Southern New Hampshire (NH) providing over 51,800 visits. Lamprey Health Care proposes increasing the number of behavioral patients more than 55% (700 patients), and SUD patients by 30% (90 patients) by expanding both behavioral health and SUD services including MOUD treatment. New Hampshire, according to American’s Health Rankings ® 2023 Annual Report of US States, ranks 28th for drug deaths, 33rd in Excessive drinking, and 38th for frequent mental distress. 2022 Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) data places NH 42nd for the number of people identifying as being diagnosed with depression. Subpopulations of the BRFSS depression data indicate large disparities based on income, ethnicity, age, race, education, and gender, which range from 59.3% to 28.6% compared with NH’s average of 25.2%. The median for the US is 21.7%. Given these statistics, we know that we are just seeing the “tip of the iceberg”. In communities we serve, there is indeed an increasing rate of patients in dire need of behavioral, mental health, SUD and MOUD treatment services. UDS data in the number of behavioral health and SUD patients as well as diagnoses show growth. From 2022 to 2023 the number of BH patients increased 15.9% and SUD patients increased 10.7%. Perhaps the most apparent need is our experience with new BH providers struggling to keep up with demand shortly after being hired. To meet these growing needs, Lamprey Health Care proposes the following: a) Recruiting three (3) FTE of BH/SUD providers over the two year grant period; b) Expand and deepen collaboration with other organizations in the communities we serve to reduce fragmentation of care; c) Expand the use of medications within our MOUD program; d) Partner with a pharmacy to provide further integration and access for patients; e) Add location of care access, through our mobile health program, in partnership with Greater Nashua Mental Health Center, a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC); f) Through our collaboration with the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, provide a bridge to care for people without permanent housing; and g) Renovate bathrooms at the Raymond Center to reduce stigma of SUD testing. Lamprey Health Care will focus on populations facing disparities such as income, ethnicity, and race; reducing barriers to care for people with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or individuals disproportionally affected by social determinants of health. We will advance stigma reduction and integration of care and reach the populations we are targeting through focused in-reach and outreach, and expansion of existing collaborations with our community partners by providing services on site at the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, and through our Mobile Health Unit to reduce barriers. We will assure services are delivered in the language of the patient, and within a harm reduction, trauma informed framework. We propose continuing to train staff on trauma informed care, and cultural competency to provide a whole person model of care, and address their needs by using a multi-disciplinary team approach that includes addressing social barriers.
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).