Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
Integrating Behavioral Health into Primary Care through Telehealth Evidence-Based Telehealth Network - a. Title: Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) Evidence Based Telehealth Network Program (EB-TNP) for Rural Puerto Rico (PR) b. Applicant: PR Science, Technology and Research Trust (PRSTRT). c. Applicant address: Carr. 21 int. PR 18, Bo. Monacillo Urbano, San Juan, PR 00936, d. Website: https://prsciencetrust.org/prpht-2021-home. e. Requested award: $350,000/year for five years. f. Applicant facility type: Not for Profit Organization, 501C3. g. Project Director name and title: Dr. Marianyoly Ortiz, Executive Director, PR Public Health Institute / Leslie Maas Cortes, Director, Division of Environmental Health. h. Project Director phone: 787-523-1592, mortiz@prsciencetrust.org, lmaas@prsciencetrust.org. i. Funding Preferences: The PRSTRT is eligible under SERVICE Criteria B because federal funds will be used to develop plans and establish telehealth networks that provide behavioral health care. j. Service Area: Mennonite Hospital-CIMA is the Distant Site located in Aibonito and will provide the tele behavioral health services to Originating Sites. Originating Sites are Corporacion de Servicios de Salud Primaria y Desarrollo Socioeconomico el Otoao (COSSAO) of Utuado and the Salinas and Maunabo satellite clinics of the Centros de Servicios Primarios de Salud de Patillas (CSPSP), Inc. All originating sites are rural and fully medically underserved. The populations of the sites are: Utuado (27,242), Salinas (24,718) and Maunabo (10,266). k. Needs, Objectives, and Projected Outcomes: PR frequently experiences natural disasters which result in more prevalent mental and behavioral health needs. Psychiatric disorders are prevalent in 18.7 % of population ages 18-64 yrs. The five goals are to: A) Provide tele behavioral mental health services through a Telebehavioral health Network (TBHN) comprised of a Distant Site and three Originating Sites. (B) Establish a Comparison Sample of patients seen in person for mental health services. (C) Adopt the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM- supported by APA) to integrate behavioral health into primary care settings to improve patient care and outcomes. D) Provide overall leadership and coordination to support the administrative and communications aspects of the proposed TBHN. E) Promote sustainability of the proposed TBHN by evaluating the model, addressing barriers, and fostering ongoing collaboration with project partners. l. The project will support three rural and underserved Originating Sites. m. Actual Patients/Persons Served: In 2022, the distant site received 4,593 mental health-related visits. The TBHN will serve an estimated 409 unique patients during the first year of this project, with a 10% increase in volume over years 2,3,4 and 5 (approximately 150 per site). COSSAO served 3,800 unduplicated patients in 2023 and 754 required mental or behavioral health services. CSPSP served 28,184 unduplicated patients/ persons in 2023; 1,761 patients needed mental and behavioral health care. n. Self-Assessment: The director and the coordinator will meet regularly with the project team and network partners to evaluate the progress, identify issues or delays, and take corrective actions. o. Outcomes: 1) Improved clinical outcomes 2) Enhanced cost-effectiveness, 3) Improved quality of care and 4) Improved access. p. Additional Activities: The project is solely focused on building and expanding a sustainable tele behavioral health network. q. Sustainability: q. Sustainability: HHS recommends a patient centric model with three components (organization and staffing, quality and evaluation and priority of patient care) to promote sustainability. We will focus on strengthening these components to address barriers. r. PRSTRT is NOT a recipient of a current EB-TNP award. s. PRSTRT has not applied to or been an originating site for an EB-TNP. t. We learn about this funding opportunity from the Southeast Telehealth Resource Center (SERTC). u. PR does not have a State Office of Rural Health.
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).