Saturday, April 5, 2025
4/5/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Expanded Behavioral Health and MOUD services in Puyallup, Washington. Community Health Care requests support to expand integrated behavioral health services in several capacities. Community assessments have continuously shown need for increased behavioral health and substance use services in Pierce County, often showing disparities in our county with negative outcomes at rates above our state averages in numerous behavioral health and substance use outcome measures. This proposal centers around the idea of creating health homes, where needs that have traditionally been treated in siloed organizations can be met in a primary care setting. Communality Health Care has been working hard to meet the needs of the Pierce County Community for over 50 years, and later this year will expand further into Eastern Pierce County with the opening of a new health center in Puyallup, WA. This funding would support further expansion of integrated behavioral health services offered with primary care at this site, through the addition of a Behavioral Health Consultant to work directly on the primary care team, as well as part-time Psychiatric ARNP to meet complex psychotropic medication needs of our patient population. These positions will help decrease barriers to behavioral health services, with quick access to all patients, no matter what their insurance status is. Community Health Care has developed plans to be designated as an Autism Center of Excellence, which is required in Washington State to be able to diagnose and prescribe ABA therapy for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The prevalence of children with ASD has grown to 1 in 26 8-year-olds (2.8%). Interventions for ASD have the greatest likelihood for success when children are identified early. Pierce County has a growing need serve children with developmental or behavioral challenges. Families face long wait lists and significant barriers when there is suspected autism spectrum disorder and delays in care can be devastating. This will increase the number of patients receiving mental health services, In becoming an Autism Center of Excellence, Community Health Care hopes to train pediatricians and other members of the team to diagnosis autism spectrum disorder. This application proposes funding for a behavioral health team member that will partner with trained physicians to support a new workflow for diagnosis through assessment, screening, and coordination for these families in our primary care setting. Providing these services in our clinic will significantly increase the ability for low-income children with developmental delays to access much needed services and has the potential to lead to improved developmental outcomes for a vulnerable population. Lastly, this funding will support expanded access to medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) in our community. The most direct way to impact this is through a prescriber, and this funding will support .2 FTE of a primary care physician to be dedicated to medications for MOUD. In addition to this, Community Health Care is proposing funding for a community health worker dedicated to behavioral health needs that can be integrated onto the care team for patients with Opioid Use Disorder. It is clear that social determinants of health impact recovery in significant ways, and inability to meet basic needs are major concerns for the low-income, uninsured and under-insured patient population served by Community Health Care. These efforts will increase the number of patients receiving SUD services, including patients receiving treatment with MOUD.
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).