Transaction Description:
FY 2024 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICE EXPANSION - REDUCING HEALTH INEQUITIES WHILE ENHANCING ACCESS TO INTEGRATED MENTAL AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER CARE AT BEDFORD-STUYVESANT FAMILY HEALTH CENTER THIS GRANT PROPOSAL AIMS TO TACKLE ONE OF THE MANY SIGNIFICANT HEALTH INEQUITIES IN CENTRAL BROOKLYN, A COMMUNITY DEEPLY AFFECTED BY THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH (SDOH). WE PLAN TO EXPAND MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES, AS WELL AS SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD) AND MEDICATION FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER (MOUD) TREATMENT. BY FOCUSING ON HEALTH INEQUITIES EXACERBATED BY SDOH, WHICH PROFOUNDLY IMPACT MENTAL HEALTH AND SUD, WE SEEK TO BRIDGE THE GAP IN CARE ACCESSIBILITY. DESPITE GROWING AWARENESS AND EFFORTS TO DESTIGMATIZE MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, COMPREHENSIVE CARE REMAINS LIMITED, ESPECIALLY IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. OUR PROPOSAL AIMS TO BRIDGE THIS GAP BY INCREASING THE APPROPRIATE WORKFORCE, USING COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND EDUCATION TO HELP EDUCATE AND DESTIGMATIZE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUD, AND IMPLEMENTING OTHER STRATEGIC INITIATIVES THAT ADDRESS SDOH INCREASING PATIENT ACCESS, AND IMPROVING OUTCOMES IN MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT AS WELL AS IMPROVING THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. THROUGH A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH AND USING THE LENS OF HEALTH INEQUITIES THIS PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON ENHANCING THE CAPACITY OF BSFHC TO SERVE INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS. OUR STRATEGIES INCLUDE THE RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING OF ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS, INCLUDING PSYCHIATRISTS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS, AND SUBSTANCE USE COUNSELORS. ALL INDIVIDUALS WILL NOT ONLY BE ASSESSED CLINICALLY BUT WILL RESPOND TO THE PRAPARE QUESTIONNAIRE WHICH WILL HELP ADDRESS THE SDOH IMPACTING THE INDIVIDUAL. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL EXPAND OUR FACILITY INFRASTRUCTURE TO ACCOMMODATE THE GROWING DEMAND FOR THESE SERVICES, ENSURING A WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL PATIENTS. CENTRAL TO OUR PROPOSAL IS THE INTEGRAT ION OF MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT WITHIN THE PRIMARY CARE SETTING. BY EMBEDDING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES WITHIN ROUTINE PRIMARY CARE VISITS, WE AIM TO REDUCE BARRIERS TO ACCESSING CARE, DESTIGMATIZE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, AND PROMOTE EARLY INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION EFFORTS. THIS INTEGRATED APPROACH WILL ENABLE US TO PROVIDE HOLISTIC, PATIENT-CENTERED CARE THAT ADDRESSES THE COMPLEX NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH CO-OCCURRING CONDITIONS. FURTHERMORE, WE WILL IMPLEMENT OUTREACH AND EDUCATION INITIATIVES TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, REDUCE STIGMA, ENCOURAGE HELP-SEEKING BEHAVIORS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, AND REDUCE HEALTH INEQUITIES. COLLABORATING WITH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, SCHOOLS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, WE WILL DEVELOP TARGETED CAMPAIGNS AND WORKSHOPS TO ADDRESS SDOH, AND TO PROMOTE MENTAL WELLNESS AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AWARENESS WITH A FOCUS ON PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION. IN EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF OUR INITIATIVES, WE WILL UTILIZE A COMBINATION OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE MEASURES, INCLUDING PATIENT SATISFACTION SURVEYS, TREATMENT OUTCOMES DATA, AND UTILIZATION METRICS. THROUGH RIGOROUS EVALUATION, WE WILL ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR INTERVENTIONS IN INCREASING PATIENT ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER SERVICES, IMPROVING TREATMENT OUTCOMES, AND REDUCING DISPARITIES IN CARE. IN CONCLUSION, THIS GRANT PROPOSAL OUTLINES A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO ADDRESS THE GROWING NEED FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER SERVICES WITHIN CENTRAL BROOKLYN. BY EXPANDING OUR CAPACITY, INTEGRATING CARE, AND ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY, WE AIM TO CREATE A MORE INCLUSIVE AND SUPPORTIVE HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT THAT PROMOTES THE HOLISTIC WELL-BEING OF ALL INDIVIDUALS.
