Monday, June 16, 2025
6/16/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - • Health Center Program Grant #: H80CS26596 • Brief description of the proposed project: Ocracoke Health Center, Inc. is a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that proposes not only to expand mental health services but also to innovatively deliver substance abuse treatment services including Medications for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUD) where currently there is none. Care will be delivered via mobile behavioral health unit throughout the hardest hit areas (rural, seaside areas) where care is greatly lacking yet physical barriers are overwhelming. The mobile unit will be staffed by trained, licensed, and certified personnel, and care will be delivered both in person and via telehealth. Where oceans literally once separated patients from any hope of behavioral health, this will no longer be the case. • Needs to be addressed: The program will address unmet mental health and substance abuse needs, including the MOUD needs of Hyde and Dare Counties residents. Both counties are HRSA-designated rural areas comprised of extremely hardworking and proud people, many of whom make their living from farming, fishing, and tourism. They work long, dangerous, stressful jobs that tax their bodies and mental health. With little time to care for their physical or mental well-being, this has laid the groundwork for a mental health and substance abuse crisis of epic proportions. Overdose death rates are higher in both counties than in the state, and Dare County’s rate is nearly double the state’s rate. Both counties are sorely lacking in providers; the ratio of mental health residents to providers is an abysmal 4,940:1 (Hyde) and 610:1 (Dare) compared to 390:1 (North Carolina). Both are Mental Health Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) according to HRSA, and both county needs assessments identify mental health and substance abuse issues as the top two health priorities. Hyde and Dare County residents are dying from mental health and substance abuse issues and there is minimal treatment in some areas at best with some islands having no treatment options at all. • Proposed services: The services will expand upon the organization’s existing integrated behavioral approach which currently provides case management, psychotherapy, and limited substance use disorders treatment to primary care patients of the organization either in-person or via telehealth at any site. This program will provide mobile behavioral health services (psychotherapy and substance use disorders services including MOUD via 1FTE psychiatric nurse practitioner, 1FTE integrated case manager, and 1FTE social worker/therapist at strategic locations throughout Hyde and Dare Counties via a newly acquired mobile unit. It will bring crucial mental health and substance abuse services to rural areas on the mainland and islands where, until now, there have been none. • Population group(s) to be served: The program will focus on existing primary care patients aged 12 years or older who have yet to be connected with behavioral health services first and foremost. Secondarily, focus will be placed on those who are connected but would be better served via the newly acquired mobile unit (due to transportation, convenience, work schedule, etc.), or those who would benefit from a hybrid model of virtual and in-person delivery methods. Patients of all sites will be welcomed with the unit strategically located based on service area need. • Summary of how your proposed project will increase the number of patients receiving mental health services, and increase the number of patients receiving SUD services, including patients receiving treatment with MOUD: This program will upend traditional behavioral health care by bringing mobile services (psychotherapy and substance use disorders services including MOUD) to the hardest hit areas on the mainland and islands where there have been no services. Effectively, services are being brought to the people, greatly reducing barriers to care.
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).