Tuesday, May 20, 2025
5/20/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Brief history of the organization, the community to be served and the target population: The Chautauqua Center (TCC) opened its doors in January of 2013 and today has 8 locations plus a mobile unit. TCC is a non-profit, 501(c)3 corporation with a consumer majority Board of Directors, which is in full compliance with all Section 330 requirements. TCC currently provides critically needed health care services to medically underserved residents throughout Chautauqua County, NY and the surrounding areas. Chautauqua County is a rural county in Western New York on the northern edge of the Appalachian Region and is consistently ranked as one of the State’s poorest. The closest large metropolitan area is the City of Buffalo, which is 70 miles away from the County’s center. The primary focus has been, and will continue to be, the medically underserved low income and growing Hispanic populations, although the center will serve all individuals. Since opening TCC has served more than 25,000 unique individuals and/or families. Major health care needs and barriers to care to be addressed by the project: There continues to be a severe gap in services for both general mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Some of the statistics concerning around these issues include but are not limited too: a higher suicide mortality rate than both the state and nation; self-inflicted wound rates higher than the state and nation; and statistically higher inpatient rates for mental health issues. Insufficient supply of medical and behavioral health providers serving the low income population is the leading barrier to care, followed by barriers related to poverty, and lack of transportation, as well as language and cultural barriers for the growing Hispanic population. TCC will address these issues through a community-driven, collaborative, culturally responsive approach. Addressing the need for comprehensive mental health services: TCC has grown quickly since opening averaging roughly 90 new patients per month. Of those new patients, an average of 25 need substance use treatment and/or mental health services. TCC has hired a team of professionals who operate in an integrated multidisciplinary program to address all patient needs in a holistic manner. Additionally, TCC has successfully developed an ever growing list of ancillary and specialty care providers to serve its consumers. The addition of human service agencies to this list is something no other organization in TCC’s service area is doing. Utilizing our outreach and care coordination staff we have been able to connect people with all services they require. Our plan, if funded, is to extensively expand our services with new psychiatric, social work and support staff. Numbers of providers, delivery locations, services, and number of users and encounters: TCC operates multiple sites in Chautauqua County and the surrounding communities. If funded, TCC will utilize its existing locations and mobile unit to open new behavioral health services or expand them in locations they are already available. We are proposing to serve an additional 500 behavioral health patients. Of these patients, 350 will be existing patients who need the service but have been unable to access care currently. The other 150 patients will be new to TCC. Also 150 patients will receive substance use treatment and 400 will receive mental health services. We will hire 1 new psychiatric provider, and 4 new social workers or mental health counselors. We will also hire support staff including medical assistants, nursing and patient services.
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).