Saturday, May 10, 2025
5/10/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Health Center Program grant number: H80CS04286 Brief description of the proposed project including the needs to be addressed While Stigler Health & Wellness Center, Inc. (SHWC) has mental health and SUD programs in place, the health center is requesting funding to expand current services. This is necessary given Oklahoma ranks 5th in the nation for any mental illness, and the state’s rate for any substance use disorders is 16.1%. In SHWC’s service area an estimated 30,986 people (18+) need but are not receiving behavioral health services. (www.odmhsas.org/eda/prevalence.htm) Highlighting why we must act, the National Institute on Drug Abuse published a study in 2022 showing intentional drug overdoses (suicides) are increasing among the elderly population. and national data shows of the 2.2 million adults aged 50+ years, 54% used marijuana, 28% misused prescription drugs, and 17% used other illicit drug. On another topic, Alzheimer’s disease is a growing concern, with recent data showing statewide, 71,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s. Added to this, 24,300 family caregivers are involved in dementia related care. Of these caregivers, 57.2% are 55 years old or older; 14.2% have frequent poor mental health; and 24.4% have a history of depression. In our 7-county service area, an estimated 5,100 people aged 65+ are living with Alzheimer’s dementia. (https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2022-02-02-study-overdose-suicides-climbing-among-young-elderly-and-black-women; https://www.alz.org/professionals/public-health/state-overview/oklahoma; Dhana et al., Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 2023; Alzheimer’s Association. Dementia Caregiving in Oklahoma. Data from the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) In the proposed plan, SHWC will implement a mixed primary care/home-based health program to address unmet behavioral health needs among the older adult (55+ years old) population. Knowing older adults are likely to avoid behavioral health issues, SHWC will implement procedures entailing assessment of behavioral health needs/issues for every medical patient age 55+. Those who screen positive will be connected with BH staff using existing interactive screens in exam rooms. In the home setting, SHWC will utilize community health workers (CHWs) to spearhead a telehealth program for those who find office visits difficult. This service should be especially useful for people with dementia and their caregivers, as leaving the home can be a traumatic event. Proposed services, and the population group(s) to be served SHWC’s existing BH program offers outpatient mental health services, outpatient and residential SUD treatment, detox services, and recovery housing, with 30% of providers offering BH services, including MOUD. That said, SHWC does not have any programs directly targeting older adults, even though this group has significant needs and unique challenges. Thus, SHWC intends to initiate services tailored to people 55 years and older by providing access to office or home-based behavioral health services, depending on patient needs. How proposed project will: • Increase the number of patients receiving mental health services, and over the 2-year project period, SHWC projects this program will provide mental health services to 864 new patients by the end of 2025. In comparison, internal data shows SHWC provided 582 people in the noted age range behavioral health services in the past 12 months. • Increase the number of patients receiving SUD services, including patients receiving treatment with MOUD Data shows 5.0% of Medicare patients in the service area have a drug use disorder (U.S. rate is 3%) and 3.9% have OUD (U.S. rate is 2%). With higher than national prevalence, SHWC projects 36 new patients will recive SUD by the end of 2025, and of these 11% will receive MOUD 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).