Friday, December 27, 2024
12/27/2024
Coastal Family Health Center, Inc. (CFHC), a federally qualified health center, has provided quality healthcare to residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast for 48 years. Beginning in 1976, with the first clinic, CFHC has expanded tremendously in size and the area served, allowing our organization to serve over 36,000 patients on an annual basis. Serving the low-income and un/underinsured population of Greene, Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, Wayne, George, and Stone counties through a patient-centered medical home model has allowed CFHC a unique opportunity to see where the need truly lies within the communities we serve. According to the 2023 America’s Health Rankings Report, Mississippi ranks 49th among the states overall and 46th regarding behavioral health outcomes specifically. Mississippi’s efforts to address the drug crisis have placed it 14th out of the 50 states in overall substance use rankings per the 2023 Recovery Village Report. While the state is making progress in reducing drug-related deaths, as evidenced by its 17th place ranking in overdose, Mississippi’s treatment rank of 34 highlights the need for improved access to addiction treatment services. The Mississippi Gulf Coast served by CFHC has higher rates of substance use as compared to the rest of the state. In fact, Harrison County had the highest number of both suspected overdose deaths and naloxone administrations in 2021, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. To address the growing mental health and substance abuse crises, CFHC proposes to expand current behavioral health services, including mental health and substance abuse counseling services, through the hire of additional behavioral health specialists, increasing organizational capacity from 6 FTEs to 10 FTEs. CFHC also proposes implementation of a MOUD program, allowing CFHC to offer this service within a minimum of five of its locations. Through these efforts, CFHC strives to increase available servic es to over 1,000 patients by the end of 2025, providing an additional 1,586 patients with mental health counseling services, 95 with substance abuse counseling services and 89 with MOUD. Through the deployment of a multidisciplinary team, including the addition of a behavioral health patient navigator who will assist with facilitation of referrals for behavioral services to ensure a seamless transition, CFHC will enhance and expand available behavioral health services with a goal of improving overall patient wellness and demonstrating a positive impact on the mental health crisis within a state that frequently ranks last among health measures.
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).