Friday, April 25, 2025
4/25/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Abstract: High Country Community Health (HCCH) is a Federally Qualified Health Center serving the northwestern counties of North Carolina including Watauga, Surry, Avery and Burke. Our mission is to provide comprehensive and culturally appropriate services including medical, dental, mental health and substance use services to the medically under-served populations of our region. We currently provide integrated behavioral health and Medications for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUD) programs at all of our adult medicine clinics. We have robust programs in Watauga and Avery Counties, but recognize the need to greatly expand in Burke and Surry Counties. The most recent Burke County Community Health Needs Assessment (2019) listed Substance Use Disorder as one of their top three priorities. The county is ranked in the top 5% of vulnerability for the rapid dissemination of HIV or HCV infections among individuals who inject drugs. Their Emergency Department (ED) indicates that 4.55% of all visits are primarily due to substance use and Burke County has the 9th highest overdose ED visits in the state, resulting in 215 visits from April 2023-March 2024. We propose to greatly expand our integrated behavioral health and MOUD program in two primary care clinics in this county. The most recent Surry County Community Health Assessment (2022) indicates that they had 78 suicide deaths between 2016-2020 and 47 unintentional opioid-related deaths from 2016-2020. Substance Use and Mental Health were two of the top three health priorities identified in 2022. HCCH currently has an integrated pediatric practice in this county, with active plans to add adult medicine in the next year. With this funding, our adult medicine clinic can provide expanded behavioral health and MOUD services for the county. Expanding behavioral health services in Burke and Surry Counties is greatly needed. This program aims to a) increase the number of patients receiving mental health services and b) increase the number of patients receiving SUD services, including MOUD. Specifically, we will utilize this funding to expand our workforce and to offer comprehensive training and support to HCCH providers serving mental health and SUD patients to ensure fidelity to the latest evidence-based treatment practices.
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).