FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Health Center Program Number: H80CS00299 Brazos Valley Community Action Agency, Inc. (dba HealthPoint) is applying for funding under opportunity HRSA-24-078 to increase access to behavioral health services in the Brazos Valley Region of Texas. HealthPoint’s service area comprises five Mental Health Geographic Health Professional Shortage Areas and two Mental Health High Needs Geographic Health Professional Shortage Areas. In 2023, HealthPoint served approximately 47,000 people across 30 service delivery sites in six rural, medically underserved counties and one non-rural, partially medically underserved county. The most recent Brazos Valley Community Health Needs Assessment (Texas A&M, 2022) indicated that mental health service availability was a “paramount issue” in the community, with 13% of adults reporting 14 or more poor mental health days in the past month (CDC, 2020). The most recent sub-state data from SAMHSA (2016-2019) indicates that over the past year, 4% of adults had serious thoughts of suicide, 7% of adults had at least one major depressive episode, 4% of adults had a serious mental illness, and 7% of adults had substance use disorders (SUD). Data is not available for drug overdose deaths for most of our service area; however, available data indicates a significant increase in both opioid use and overdose deaths. Drug poisoning deaths in Texas have increased by more than 75% in the past five years (Texas Department of State Health Services, 2024). HealthPoint mental health personnel provided mental health services to 542 patients in 2023, while integrated primary care and behavioral health treatment included mental health services to roughly 8,000 patients during medical visits and SUD services to 3,200 patients during medical and mental health visits. Fiscal Year 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion (BHSE) funding will be used to increase access to behavioral health services in the Brazos Valley through the expansion of behavioral health care services by increasing the number of full-time mental health and substance use disorder personnel; partnering with social service organizations, the regional health system, inpatient community-based programs, and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic; and training practitioners to provide care for individuals in need of mental health and SUD/OUD prevention, treatment including medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and recovery services. The proposed BHSE program will increase the number of patients receiving mental health services and SUD services, including treatment with MOUD.
