Wednesday, April 30, 2025
4/30/2025
Quality Improvement Fund - Justice Involved - Project Title: Quality Improvement Fund- Transitions in Care for Justice-Involved Populations Applicant Organization Name: Mendocino Community Health Clinic, Inc. Grant Number: H80CS00628 Project Director Name: Rodney Grainger Mendocino Community Health Clinic (MCHC Health Center), a community-based nonprofit, was designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in 1992. MCHC Health Center has been engrained in rural Northern California’s north coast region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Marin, and Lake counties) for more than three decades, providing a comprehensive range of services for service area residents from birth through the geriatric years, regardless of ability to pay. As an FQHC, MCHC Health Center has implemented an array of medical, dental, and behavioral health services to all patients regardless of their ability to pay. Furthermore, MCHC Health Center offers Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for patients experiencing a substance use disorder (SUD), women’s health services, including midwifery care, HIV/AIDS services (through its Ryan White Program), as well as chiropractic, orthopedics, podiatry, case management, and health education services. Over the years, as a result of MCHC Health Center’s dedication to providing the highest standards in patient care, safety, and quality, MCHC Health Center is now the healthcare provider of choice for nearly 30,000 economically and socially vulnerable individuals and families living in the rural north coast of California. Today, with a staff of about 300 employees, MCHC Health Center has four service delivery sites. Through this initiative, MCHC Health Center will strengthen transitions in care for individuals who are scheduled or expected to be released from incarceration within 90 days, increasing their access to community-based, high-quality primary care services. MCHC Health Center will build upon existing evidence-based models to pilot an innovative approach that connects (or reconnects) justice-involved individuals reentering the community (JI-R) to in-scope health center services that address critical health and health-related social needs. MCHC Health Center proposes to use funds for direct hire personnel, staff education and training, and enhanced care modules, to expand the program’s scope to increase capacity to provide additional support and linkages to care for individuals soon to be released from incarceration. In partnership with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, the carceral authority in Mendocino County, and in collaboration with other county- and community-based organizations, MCHC Health Center will build upon existing programs and services to provide services to the JI-R population in preparation for their release back into the community. Using a patient-centered medical home approach, MCHC Health Center will be able to retain patients in treatment, provide comprehensive health care throughout the lifecycle, and address social determinants of health services, including, but not limited to, engagement with community resources to address health related social needs, which include housing insecurity, lack of transportation, food insecurity, and financial challenges. MCHC Health Center currently utilizes a combination of performance measures to evaluate its program's efficacy in treating patients, which we will leverage for this initiative. These metrics include, but are not limited to, patient retention rates, substance use frequency, and treatment adherence, which provide objective data on outcomes. MCHC Health Center also looks at clinician and patient feedback, and observational studies, which offer valuable insights into subjective experiences and perceptions of both patients and providers. This comprehensive approach will ensure a robust understanding of the program's impact and enable continuous refinement to optimize patient care and outcomes.
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).