Tuesday, May 13, 2025
5/13/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Community Health Center (CHC) (H80CS00874) intends to introduce Mental Health (MH), Substance Use Disorder (SUD) & Medications for Opioid Use Disorder services in the Bayshore region of Monmouth County, NJ. CHC’s mission is to build healthy communities and enhance well-being with a vision in five years to be the model for FQHC’s in the US. The CHC is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with four sites in Asbury Park, Red Bank, Keyport, and Freehold Borough and includes the only LGBTQ+ Health Center in the county. CHC patients include the medically underserved and underinsured including homeless, mentally ill, individuals with substance use disorder, persons living with HIV/AIDS, frail elderly, women/children, LGBTQ+ and minority populations. With the most recent addition of the Freehold site, which is a unique collaboration with Visiting Nurse Association Health Group (VNAHG), CentraState Health Care System & Rutgers RWJ Medical School Family Medicine Residency Program, over 17,694 patients were treated through 60,028 visits last year. VNAHG, the largest home health, hospice and community- based care provider in NJ, established the CHC in 1994 to provide primary and preventive care in Asbury Park. The CHC and VNAHG share a unique strategic partnership, with VNAHG providing management services, and often collaborating via many community-based programs offered by both organizations. The CHC currently provides Behavioral Health services in Asbury Park, led by a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner supported by Licensed Clinical Social Workers. VNAHG’s Prevention Resource Network Program (PRN), operates one of 7 Harm Reduction Centers (HRC) in NJ within our Asbury Park Campus. In 2021, CHC began a collaboration to implement a Medication Assisted Treatment program (MAT) that has grown to serve 266 patients. We intend to use our experience from Asbury Park to expand availability of these much needed services to the Bayshore area of Monmouth County. The Keyport site offers Primary Care, Dentistry, Chiropractic and Prenatal Services and is well known and trusted in the community. Community Needs Assessments identify Mental Health and Substance Abuse as the top two Health Priorities, with access to healthcare services as the 6th priority. Currently there are extensive waitlists of 3+ months for these types of MH/SUD services in the Bayshore area. The addition of Mental Health and SUD/MOUD treatment services at the Keyport Primary Care Center will help fill this unmet need and improve the health of Bayshore residents. There are pockets of deep need within Monmouth County regarding mental health and SUD services. Monmouth County is ranked 5th in NJ for number of treatment admissions for all substances across all age groups with Heroin as one of the top causes. Two towns within our service area are listed as #1 and #2 on this list. Monmouth County also ranked 5th in the state for highest overdose deaths and 7th in the state for Narcan incidents. Our proposed services will include: • Individual Cognitive & Behavioral Health Therapy for Mental Health and/or Substance Use Disorders • Group Cognitive & Behavioral Therapy for Mental Health and/or Substance Use Disorders • Medication Management for Mental Health & Substance Use Disorders Population of the Bayshore area is 1,445,836 with population density of 1,860 per sq. mile and a total land area of 777.4 miles. Race demographics include 66.3% white, 20.7% some other race, 8.9% black & 4.1% multiple races. The Hispanic population is 16.8%. There has been a sharp increase of the Hispanic population by almost 65,000 persons or 30.7% between 2010 and 2020, which is not necessarily captured in Census data due to immigration status. Bayshore has high rates of poverty, lacking a vehicle, speaking a language other than English at home, and lacking health insurance. This community is clearly in need of expanded MH/SUD/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).