Sunday, April 27, 2025
4/27/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Southside Medical Center, Health Center Program grant number H80CS00576, will expand behavioral health services including Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder to two of our clinics – one in Gwinnett County, Georgia and the other in Clayton County, Georgia – by providing each with psychiatric nurse practitioners supervised by a psychiatrist, plus a Licensed Clinical Social Worker to address the needs of patients from these counties and surrounding counties. Clayton County has a majority minority population (69% Black/African American), experiences high Indexes of Deprivation and Social Vulnerability, one out of four of its residents report poor or fair health, 14.3% of residents self-report excessive alcohol consumption, and has high age-adjusted rates of mortality due to suicide (9.9 deaths per 100,000 population), due to suicide plus drug or alcohol poisoning (28.0 deaths per 100,000 population), and due to drug poisoning (11.2 deaths per 100,000 population). Gwinnett County also has a majority minority population (27.9% Black/AA, 21.75% Hispanic/Latinx, 12.7% Asian, 3.3% multiracial), a portion of which experiences high Indexes of Deprivation and Social Vulnerability, 14.36% of residents self-report excessive alcohol consumption, and its age-adjusted rates of mortality due to those same causes are identical or quite similar to Clayton County’s rates (suicide is higher, at 11.5 deaths per 100,000 population). To maintain the national ratio of provers per 100,000 population, Clayton County would need 72 more substance abuse providers, 35 more buprenorphine providers, and 384 more mental health providers than it currently has. Gwinnett County would need 210 more substance abuse providers, 96 more buprenorphine providers, and 962 more mental health providers than it currently has. We build into our program a plan for multilingual staff whenever possible and translation services to ensure equitable access to culturally and linguistically appropriate care. In year one of the expansion, we expect an additional 70 patients to receive substance use treatment including suboxone, when appropriate, and 408 additional patients to receive mental health treatment, for a total of 478 additional patients. In year two of the expansion, we expect 130 patients to receive substance use treatment and 546 patients to receive mental health treatment, for a total of 676 patients.
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).