Sunday, May 11, 2025
5/11/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Project Title: Increasing Access to High Quality Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services for Underserved Populations in Mecklenburg County and Surrounding Communities Applicant Name: The C.W. Williams Community Health Center, Inc. (CWWCHC) Address: 5800 Old Pineville Rd, Charlotte, NC 28217 Project Director: Debra Weeks, CEO Contact Phone Numbers: Tel: 704-391-0819; Fax: 980-335-0504 Email Address: dweeks@cwwilliams.org Website: www.cwwilliams.org Grant Funds Requested: $1,100,000 Performance Period: 9/1/2024 to 8/31/2026 Target Populations: Low income, un/underinsured, medically underserved persons residing in CWWCHC’s service area of Anson, Cabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Union counties in North Carolina & York County in South Carolina. Organization Overview: CWWCHC is a Federally Qualified Health Center that handles over 28,000 patient encounters annually, representing between 11,000 & 13,000 patients, with 87% being classified as a racial or ethnic minority, 64% living on incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level, 24.35% receiving coverage through Medicaid, 21.5% being homeless & 45.33% being uninsured. Center services include affordable, integrated, primary/preventive medical and dental care, mental health and substance use disorder counseling & treatment (including Medication Assisted Treatment), comprehensive HIV/STI treatment and care, 340B pharmacy, case management and mobile medical & dental services. Needs to Be Addressed: Mental health (MH) and substance use disorders (SUDs) are two identified top priority health categories for CWWCHC’s service area (SA). Throughout the SA, drug overdose death rates increased by nearly 40% between 2016 and 2020, from 15.7 deaths per 100,000 to 21.3 per 100,000 (223 total deaths). In Mecklenburg County (MC) alone in Jan/Feb 2024, there were 195 emergency department (ED) overdose visits for medications/drugs, trending for a 2024 total of 780 overdose visits. Also in MC, close to 20% of adults report binge or heavy drinking, there are more than 5,000 ED visits where alcohol or other substances were involved, and nearly 1 in 5 adults report depression and poor mental health. These rates have a tremendous adverse impact, including high costs of healthcare, work loss, and loss of life. They also highlight the need for increased high quality MH/SUD services and providers embedded in underserved and high-risk communities. Unfortunately, the SA is a designated Behavioral/Mental Health Professional Shortage Area, meaning that there are not sufficient providers relative to the population’s need. This shortage creates barriers to receiving quality care, especially for underserved populations. Summary of Proposed Project: CWWCHC will use Behavioral Health Service Expansion Funding to increase its MH/SUD services throughout the health center’s service area, especially targeting rural populations, racial/ethnic minorities, persons experiencing homelessness, un/underinsured individuals, persons living below the Federal Poverty Level, and other high-risk populations. Expanded services will include psychotherapy, pediatric MH/SUD services, tele-behavioral health, mobile behavioral health services, support groups, peer counseling, increased MH/SUD counseling and treatment, bilingual services, marketing campaigns aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination. CWWCHC also will work with like-minded community organizations throughout the service area utilizing bi-directional referral systems for broader reach. The program’s primary goal is to increase access to high quality, family-centered MH/SUD services. Anticipated outcomes include increased number of underserved patients receiving high quality MH/SUD services, reduced barriers to high quality MH/SUD care and support services, reduced stigma and implicit bias/racial discrimination, reduced disparities, increased number of MH/SUD patients who have a medical/dental home & improved overall physical, emotional & mental well-being.
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).