Tuesday, April 29, 2025
4/29/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Heartland Community Health Center serves as a welcoming health home for all who need care. Heartland is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Douglas County, Kansas, serving patients spanning 20 rural and urban counties in Northeastern Kansas. Heartland’s integrated services include primary care, psychiatry and behavioral health, dental care, pediatric care, a 340b pharmacy, and wrap-around services that include an onsite food pantry and resource assistance. Heartland is requesting the 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion (BHSE) funding to support increased access to care for patients experiencing substance use disorder and to expand behavioral health services through the addition of staff in UDS Table 5, Line 20 and 21. Heartland will expand UDS-reported activities to include New Patients Receiving Treatment Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) and SUD Services patients. This is in response to the growing mental health crisis and prevalence of SUD in Heartland’s service area. According to the 2023 State of Mental Health in America Report, 15% of adults had a substance use disorder and 93.5% did not receive treatment. Adults who binge drink in Douglas County is up by 20%, compared to 15.5% nationally, and the death rate due to drug poisoning is at 12.3 deaths per 100,000 population. The percentage of deaths with alcohol-involvement in Douglas County is much higher than the rest of the state at 33% compared to the state rate at 19%. Community health indicators, including the 2023 Douglas County Community Health Assessment show the need for increased mental health support that is accessible and affordable. Currently, Heartland’s SUD services are multi-directional, and patients enter services a variety of ways with multiple providers supporting treatment. In 2023, Heartland provided services to 193 patients with Alcohol-related disorders, 529 with Other Substance-related disorders, and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) services to 333 patients. Heartland partners with a local substance abuse treatment center to support MAT services and coordinates with the Douglas County jail re-entry program to provide services to inmates with SUD. In addition to medication management, Heartland’s SUD services include behavioral health therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and contingency management to address underlying issues contributing to addiction, and that promote long-term recovery. Heartland provides labs and adjust medications along with health screenings and tests for other health conditions that often co-occur with SUD’s such as HIV, hepatitis C, and depression. Heartland screens patients for social determinants of health such as housing insecurity. Heartland’s collaborative team of primary care providers, pharmacists, behavioral health professionals, and community health workers create an effective strategy to combat substance abuse. Heartland’s BHSE workplan will address focus areas that prioritize access through increased workforce, expanded services and care coordination, and increased integrated services for SUD patients. The BHSE project will coincide with Heartland’s new behavioral health building that opens October 2024 and will allow for expanded office space and furnish new behavioral health and SUD clinical spaces. Heartland’s BHSE funding will support two new care teams for Psychiatry and SUD. Heartland's expanded services will provide low-barrier access points with increased coordination and support from behavioral health. When patients are identified with SUD, providers will make warm-hand offs to the new care teams to increase support and services. Additionally, an investment in quality improvement efforts will allow for more robust tracking and reporting of SUD services to UDS reporting. Heartland will expand services with a comprehensive approach that is individualized, affordable, focused on risk reduction, and addresses the physical and psychological aspects of addiction.
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).