Project Title: FY 24 Behavioral Health Services Expansion (HRSA-24-078)
Applicant Organization Name: Mendocino Community Health Clinic, Inc.
Grant Number: H80CS00628
Project Director Name: Rodney Grainger
Mendocino Community Health Clinic, Inc. (MCHC Health Center) is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with more than 30 years of experience addressing the healthcare needs of low-income, uninsured, and under-insured individuals and families in Mendocino County, California. MCHC Health Center earned its FQHC designation in 1992, with an emphasis on Community Health Center (CHC), Migrant Health Center (MHC), and Healthcare for the Homeless (HCH) special populations. With its five fixed service delivery sites, one administrative/service delivery site, and six administrative only sites serving Ukiah, Willits, Lakeport, and surrounding communities, MCHC Health Center provides access to patient care to more than 29,000 people each year.
MCHC Health Center’s service area consists of 12 ZIP codes, where more than 83.6% of current patients reside. Its target population is more than one-quarter (29.3%) of low-income residents living below 200% Federal Poverty Guidelines who reside in the service area. Through the FY24 Behavioral Health Services Expansion (BHSE) initiative, MCHC Health Center will increase the number of patients receiving mental health (MH) services and increase the number of patients receiving substance use disorder (SUD) services, including patients receiving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). MCHC Health Center will focus our efforts on serving low-income, uninsured adults and children with a behavioral health (BH) diagnosis. With funding, MCHC Health Center will expand access to MH and SUD services at all its fixed service delivery locations, including expanding access to telehealth services. Through its extensive list of existing community partners, MCHC Health Center will be able to expand its reach to patients in need of behavioral health services, including conducting outreach and education through its Backpack Street Medicine Program, in collaboration with law enforcement, and other community-based and county-based health services.
As illustrated in our 2023 Uniform Data System (UDS) report, MCHC Health Center provided MH services to 2,339 patients via 14,287 visits (6,370 clinic visits and 7,917 virtual visits). While we had zero (0) SUD patients, we had 380 patients who received medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) disorder during the reporting period. With FY24 BHSE funding, MCHC Health Center will be able to increase the number of patients receiving MH and MOUD services, as well as offer SUD only services.
MCHC Health Center is a trusted community medical home and therefore, is well positioned to address the gaps in BH access and care. Funds will go toward personnel (existing and new) in order to expand our behavioral health program scope to increase our capacity to provide more MH and SUD services for patients in the service area. As we build our behavioral health workforce, MCHC Health Center will look to recruit providers and staff who are experienced working with ethnic populations, with an emphasis on bilingual providers. Per our current Form 5A: Services Provided, MCHC Health Centers provides HCH Required SUD Services, MH Services and Psychiatry Services in Column I. Therefore, a Change in Scope or Scope Adjustment will not be needed.