Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion - Project Title: FY 24 Behavioral Health Service Expansion Health Center Program Grant Number: H80CS00587 Organizational History: Petaluma Health Center (PHC) became an independent organization in 1999 as 501 (c) (3) public benefit corporation and became a Federally Qualified Health Center in 2001. PHC has earned and maintained Joint Commission Accreditation in Ambulatory Care, Behavioral Care, and Patient-Centered Medical Home since 2015. PHC has 12 main sites—its main clinic and administrative offices, homeless clinic, three school-based health centers, Rohnert Park Health Center (RPHC), Petaluma Eye Care Center, Rohnert Park Community Acupuncture, Point Reyes Community Health Center, and Bolinas Community Health Center, plus our mobile van. PHC’s mission is to ensure access to high-quality health care and achieve health equity for the communities we serve. Population to be Served: PHC’s target population for the proposed project consists of increasing the number of patients individuals living at or below 200 percent Federal Poverty Line (FPL) who are 1) receiving mental health services and 2) receiving substance use disorder (SUD) services, including treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), in PHC’s service area. In 2023, PHC and its dedicated staff of 562 utilized its operating budget of $72 million to serve nearly 40,000 unduplicated patients and over 190,000 visits. PHC provides a viable source of primary and preventive medical, dental, and mental health services for the low-income, medically underserved and vulnerable populations in its service area, with approximately 71 % of our overall patient population lives at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level and nearly 35% of our patients are better served in a language other than English. Summary of Proposed Project Scope, Services, and Needs: PHC’s proposed project will take an evidence-based, holistic, patient-centered, and data-driven approach to improve and increase the number of patients receiving 1) mental health services and, 2) SUD services, including treatment with MOUD. According to a recent community needs assessment, the prevalence of alcohol and substance abuse in Sonoma County is higher by several measures than the statewide rate. Nearly 20% of adults aged 18-59 reported that they needed help for mental health or substance abuse issues. In 2020, County of Sonoma had the third highest number of fentanyl-related overdose deaths of all 58 California counties—an alarming statistic placing us just barely behind Inyo County and more than half of San Francisco County. Nonetheless, access to SUD services is severely limited for low-income individuals without health coverage in Sonoma County. PHC’s proposed project will identify high risk patients with opioid use disorders and connect them to treatment with MOUD via the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Model. The 12-week treatment program includes in-person group sessions and individual counseling, as well as virtual and web-based consultations to help expand and improve access to substance abuse services. The proposed model is projected to provide 9,170 visits to 2,600 patients during the project period through increases to staffing, educational support, and bonuses. This will include: 1.0 FTE BH Workforce Recruiter, 2.0 FTE Physicians from Mexico specializing in Psychiatry and Latinx Population Language Fluency, 1.0 FTE Perinatal Caseworker specializing in postpartum depression, Educational Support for 2 Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners, and Recruitment and Retention bonuses for approximately 10 Behavioral Health providers (such as ACSWs and LCSWs).
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).