Sunday, May 18, 2025
5/18/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (SBCPHD) has provided medical services since 1926 and in 1989, initiated the Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) program. Twenty years later, the Department expanded its scope to include the entire eligible population through a 330(e) change in scope. The SBCPHD serves a critical role in the community by providing access to health care for the uninsured and underinsured through a county-wide network of Federally Qualified Health Care (FQHC) Centers and homeless shelter-based Health Care Centers (HCCs) located throughout Santa Barbara County, including Lompoc and Santa Maria where resources are needed. These centers serve over 16,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries, with 65% of patients being served at these sites. Over two-thirds of patients identify as Hispanic/Latinx; all clinicians are Medi-Cal providers with bilingual medical assistants. PHD collaborates closely with the local Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan, CenCal Health, offering services such as the Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program, California Children’s Services, and Every Woman Counts. In 2014, the SBCPHD offered integrated Behavioral Health Care at the Santa Barbara Health Care Center, then in 2016, through the assistance of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) supplemental mental health and substance abuse grants, the service was expanded to each clinic location. We have 2 Full-time Equivalent (FTE) Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) and 1.8 FTE Licensed Psychologists who provide professional integrated mental health services in the Health Care Centers using time-limited, evidence-based interventions to support patients in addressing behaviors that impact health. These services are aligned with HRSA 330 FQHC requirements and Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) objectives. Services include Counseling that provides assessment, prevention, intervention, and psychotherapeutic treatment, including symptom management, life-skills education, and relapse prevention through one-on-one counseling; Case Management that screens clients, authorizes appropriate treatment, reviews treatment services, and provides referral services for the dually diagnosed (mental health and substance abuse) while engaging and referring severely mentally ill adults to appropriate services; Community linkages to the rehabilitation network of mental health agencies that provide short and long-term residential treatment, supported housing, vocational training, and other services to mental health consumers. In 2023, the PHD Behavioral Health Specialists had a combined visit total of 4,322 with 1,225 unique patients. Through this Behavioral Health Service Expansion (BHSE) opportunity, PHD seeks to increase its staffing capacity for delivering BH Services to children and adult individuals experiencing mild to moderate mental health concerns. The plan includes hiring: One (1.0) Full-time Equivalent Behavioral Health Specialist (Health Center Based) One (1.0) Full-time Equivalent Administrative Office Professional (Health Center Based) and a Contracted Psychiatrist or Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (telehealth model) to offer psychiatry services 16 hours per week (4-hour sessions rotating through health center and shelter clinic locations in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Lompoc). The psychiatric services performed as part of this new effort will focus primarily on psychiatric medication management services and will be available to all registered patients covered by Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program), Medicare, as well as uninsured and/or sliding fee scale in compliance with HRSA’s requirements. In 2023, the PHD Health Care Centers provided MOUD services to 115 patients. Through this expansion, we anticipate an additional 900 BH visits and 200 SUD visits, including MOUD services annually.
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).