Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Title: Advancing Behavioral Health and decreasing Substance Use Disorder in the Primary Care Center Indiana’s mental health outcomes are poor. Indiana ranks 45th out of 51 states and District of Columbia in unmet needs for mental health services. Indiana has alarmingly plummeted 26 places in the past three years from 19th to the current 45th ranking (MHA 2020). Indiana ranks 43rd in all-age prevalence of mental illness, 47th for adult prevalence of mental illness and access to care, and 43rd in provider to patient ratio. Also distressing is that 2017 drug related deaths in Indiana increased by 108% since 2007 (17.9 IN / 15.0 US). More disturbing is that drug related death rates in Indiana have increased 7% since 2016. A 2016 outbreak of 215 cases of HIV in Scott County Indiana related to IV drug use illustrates the seriousness of the drug use in Indiana. Important to the main three counties that Riggs CHC serves are the following statistics demonstrating the need for additional services to increase the number of patients receiving mental health services, and increase the number of patients receiving SUD services, including treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Riggs CHC has gone through phenomenal change over the last 10 years with leadership creating an excellent environment for new projects. Since 2014 we have increased visits from 30,000/ year to over 67,000 visits in 2023. Additionally, we have expanded our services to include expanded dental services, chiropractic services, psychiatric Nurse Practitioners for mental health services, behavioral health specialist for integrated behavioral health services, case management for diabetes and maternal health and point of care testing for multiple health concerns. Riggs Community Health Center (CHC) is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with 5 sites; Riggs Hartford, Riggs South and Riggs Dental Clinic that are located in Lafayette, Indiana (Tippecanoe County), Riggs Boone County located in Lebanon, Indiana and Riggs Clinton County, located in Frankfort, Indiana. These 5 clinics serve 41 zip codes in and around Tippecanoe, Boone and Clinton counties. Riggs CHC offers medical, dental and integrated behavioral health services. Primary healthcare services that include internal medicine, pediatrics and women’s health are offered five days a week, while acute care medical visits, adult preventative health and child wellness and prenatal services are offered six days a week. In 2023, Riggs CHC had 67,085 patient visits serving 20,132 unique patients throughout all locations. Behavioral health is provided both onsite and via telehealth. Riggs has opened two new sites over the last 10 years with the addition of Riggs Boone County in Lebanon, Indiana and Riggs Frankfort in Clinton County. Thus, expanding our reach into communities that are also underserved. These communities lacked Medicaid providers with the ability to serve all of the population and lacked the resources to address the needs of the uninsured patients. Riggs is requesting funding for the Behavioral Health Services Expansion to: • Increase the number of patients receiving mental health services. • Increase the number of patients receiving SUD services, including treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). With a robust staff of over 25 medical providers and 200 employees Riggs is well suited to receive the additional funding to advance our mental health services and create SUD services in all three of our counties that include 41 zip codes that we serve. Riggs’ history of HRSA grants has been extremely successful with project completion and outputs. Additionally, Riggs CHC has a proven extremely strong financial position.
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).