Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Bethel Family Clinic H80CS01138 631 Main Street / PO Box 1908, Bethel, Alaska 99559 M. Enayet U. Chowdhury, Executive Director Email: enam@bethelfamilyclinic.org Phone: 907-543-3773 Fax: 907-543-3545 Website: www.bethelfamilyclinic.org Alaska Congressional District BFC is seeking to expand its behavioral health, substance abuse, and MOAD services. We currently provide limited services to a vast, roadless, underserved area in rural Alaska. The majority of the people in our area are Alaska Natives. We have a high rate of unmet need for mental health issues, substance abuse issues, and people suffering from opioid use disorder. The suicide rate in our area is one of the highest in the country. The Bethel Family Clinic (BFC), founded in 1981, is a small, non-profit Community Health Center funded in 2002 through a CHC§330 grant, located in Bethel, Alaska which is the largest community in the Kuskokwim River in Southwest Alaska. It is the homeland of the Yup’ik that they called Mamterilleq, which means “Smokehouse People.” It is the only provider of primary care in the region to residents who are not Indian Health Service beneficiaries. Bethel is designated as a health professional shortage and medically underserved areas. Bethel/Kusilvak census units cover 87,828 square miles. The service area consists of a hub city of Bethel and 57 surrounding remote villages. This is a sparsely populated area, with access limited to air and boat travel that is often hampered by seasonally severe weather. The area population per the 2020 US Census is 27,034, of which 91% are Alaska Native, 37% under the age of 18 and 7% over 65 years of age. The needs of the population are for continuum of health care in rural villages. Behavioral Health needs are at a premium with suicide rates the highest in the nation in our service area. BFC provides routine preventative and acute/urgent care and prenatal services. Bethel Family Clinic is centrally located in the heart of Bethel. BFC is accessible via regular community bus service. BFC also provides services at the local schools, cultural centers, and in the villages at the schools and head start facilities which makes access to our services convenient for our patients. Bethel Family Clinic has made a concerted effort to collaborate with the local tribal health corporation which runs a critical access hospital in Bethel and sub-regional and village clinics in the service area. BFC works closely with the public health nurse, State Health Department, and others to provide immunizations, TB tests, Health Fairs, Vocational Days, and Kindergarten Round-up. Bethel Family Clinic received its 2014 Level III certification as a Patient-Centered Medical Home in 2016. Due to our remote location, it is challenging to recruit and retain qualified staff at all levels. BFC currently operates with one full-time Nurse Practitioner who fills both a patient care and medical director role. A second NP will be starting June 2024. Our behavioral health team consists of one LPC position. Dental has been operating with one dentist working about half time, one full time hygienist, and one full time dental assistant. We are recruiting for a full-time dental provider. If awarded, we will use these funds to recruit and hire qualified behavioral health team members, including clinicians/therapists, a case manager, and a substance abuse counselor. This will quintuple our capacity to offer services. We intend to offer an array of behavioral health, substance abuse, and MOUD services. We also intend to offer outreach, prevention, and education about mental health, substance abuse, and opioid use disorder to the communities. Our target population includes Alaska Natives, people experiencing homelessness, rural residents, and those not otherwise served. By providing outreach, and improving capacity, we can increase the number of people receiving behavioral health services, substance abuse services and 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).