FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - The Centro de Salud Familiar Julio Palmieri Ferri is submitting this new application under HRSA-24-078 for funding under the fiscal year 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion program for the municipality of Arroyo in Puerto Rico. The program funds requested will ensure access to specialized services to address all challenges faced by individuals with mental health disorders and substance use disorders. Additionally, it will promote prevention and early intervention, as well as increase the availability of resources, including trained personnel, medications, and necessary treatments to improve the quality of life for patients. This will also involve removing financial barriers that could hinder access to appropriate services for treating any mental health condition. The goal is to enhance both the effectiveness of services offered by CSF and the coverage of medical care for existing patients, while also increasing the focus on prevention, mental health, and SUD services for those who are not yet receiving it. Since 2019 the CSF has been providing mental health and substance use disorder services with a significant impact on the well-being and quality of life of patients. In the last UDS 2023, an impact was reported on 2,309 patients between mental health and SUD services. The CSF providers offer support and guidance to address the challenges that arise, delivering high-quality treatments for various disorders. This has allowed patients to develop coping skills, autonomy, and decision-making abilities, leading them to achieve recovery and effective management of chronic mental health conditions and substance use. Additionally, the mental health and behavior clinic provides education, tools to enhance quality of life, promotion of social integration, crisis prevention, relapse prevention, and ongoing support services. The proposed project aims to increase the number of patients receiving mental health services and substance use disorder services, including patients receiving treatment with Medications for Opioid User Disorder (MOUD). The strategies for achieving can include: (1) Implementation through the CSF emergency department of a referral system for patients with mental health and/or substance use disorders to receive services. This may include developing protocols and procedures for patient identification, assessment, and referral; training staff to identify and manage mental health crises; active collaboration between emergency department providers and the mental health program; crisis assessment implementation, referral coordination to ensure continuity of care and follow-up, ongoing evaluation, and improvement. (2) Education and Awareness for implementing educational campaigns to increase public awareness regarding mental health issues, the significance of seeking treatment, and the advantages of MOUD for SUD; (3) Access and Availability expanding our ways to give treatment, educating healthcare providers in MOUD treatment, and minimizing barriers like geographical or financial constraints; (4) Collaborations and partnerships with other mental health organizations, addiction treatment centers, primary care physicians, and other stakeholders to enhance treatment capacity and improve patient referrals to mental health and SUD services; (5) a prevention program to identify and address issues at early stages, reducing the need for intensive treatments; (6) ongoing trainings for professionals for a better assessment, treatment, and MOUD utilization to enhance treatment quality; (7) telemedicine and online services for improve accessibility and reach patients who may face challenges accessing in-person care; and (8) Continued Support and Follow-up services to patients receiving treatment to ensure adherence, prevent relapses and promote long-term recovery. In response to community needs and limited access to mental healthcare services, these actions aim to improve public awareness, accessibility to services and treatment.
