Amity Medical Group Inc

EXPANDING ACCESS TO MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT ? PRESCRIPTION DRUG AND OPIOID ADDICTION (MAT-PDOA) AND ADDRESSING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IN THE CHARLOTTE METROPOLITAN AREA OF NORTH CAROLINA - SUMMARY: AMITY MEDICAL GROUP, INC. (AMG) IS A NON-PROFIT MEDICAL PRACTICE WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE PROVIDING AFFORDABLE, CULTURALLY COMPETENT, INTEGRATED MEDICAL SERVICES, HIV SERVICES, OPIOID USE DISORDER (OUD) SERVICES, INCLUDING MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT (MAT) SERVICES, AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO VULNERABLE RESIDENTS. AMG IS PROPOSING TO USE GRANT FUNDING TO EXPAND AND ENHANCE ACCESS TO MEDICATIONS FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER (MOUD) IN THE CHARLOTTE AREA OF NORTH CAROLINA, REGARDLESS OF AN INDIVIDUAL’S ABILITY TO PAY. PROJECT NAME: EXPANDING ACCESS TO MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT – PRESCRIPTION DRUG AND OPIOID ADDICTION (MAT-PDOA) AND ADDRESSING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IN THE CHARLOTTE METROPOLITAN AREA OF NORTH CAROLINA POPULATIONS TO BE SERVED: ANY INDIVIDUALS WITH OUD, INCLUDING INDIVIDUALS FROM DIVERSE RACIAL, ETHNIC, SEXUAL AND GENDER MINORITY COMMUNITIES. THERE IS A STRONG NEED FOR IMPROVED ACCESS TO THESE SERVICES IN THE CHARLOTTE AREA WHERE ACCORDING TO THE UNIFORM DATA SYSTEM MAPPER REPORT, 29% OF THE POPULATION (315,436 RESIDENTS) ARE BELOW 200% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL, 12% LIVE IN POVERTY, AND 12% ARE UNINSURED. ACCORDING TO THE NC INJURY & VIOLENCE PREVENTION BRANCH, IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY, THERE WERE 44 OPIOID POISONING DEATHS IN 2010, AND THIS NUMBER ESCALATED BY 300% TO 176 OPIOID POISONING DEATHS IN 2020. ALSO, THE NUMBER OF OPIOID POISONING EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS DRASTICALLY INCREASED BY 566% FROM 116 IN 2010 TO 772 IN 2020. STRATEGIES & INTERVENTIONS: AMG WILL UTILIZE EXISTING STAFF, HIRE STAFF, AND COLLABORATE WITH PARTNERS TO PROVIDE MOUD SERVICES IN COMBINATION WITH COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHOSOCIAL SERVICES, COUNSELING, BEHAVIORAL THERAPIES, RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICES, AND HARM REDUCTION SERVICES. AMG WILL ALSO CONDUCT SCREENINGS AND ASSESSMENTS; DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO INCREASE ACCESS TO MOUD AND RELATED SERVICES FOR DIVERSE POPULATIONS WITH OUD; BUILD FUNDING MECHANISMS AND SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS WITH ORGANIZATIONS TO EFFECTIVELY IDENTIFY, ENGAGE, AND RETAIN INDIVIDUALS IN OUD TREATMENT AND FACILITATE LONG-TERM RECOVERY; USE TELEHEALTH SERVICES TO REACH, ENGAGE, AND RETAIN PATIENTS IN TREATMENT; PROVIDE DE-ESCALATION/CRISIS PREVENTION AND TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE TRAINING TO STAFF; AND ASSESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WHO ARE AT RISK FOR OR EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND REFER THEM FOR SERVICES. GOALS & OBJECTIVES GOAL 1: TO EXPAND AND ENHANCE ACCESS TO MOUD FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH OUD IN THE CHARLOTTE AREA OF NORTH CAROLINA. OBJECTIVES: 1) PROVIDE MOUD TO 600 NEW UNDUPLICATED INDIVIDUALS IN YEAR 1; 2) PROVIDE MOUD TO 350 NEW UNDUPLICATED INDIVIDUALS IN EACH ADDITIONAL YEAR; 3) BY THE END OF YEAR 5, AMG WILL HAVE PROVIDED MOUD TO 2,000 UNDUPLICATED INDIVIDUALS TOTAL. GOAL 2: TO DECREASE ILLICIT OPIOID USE AND PRESCRIPTION OPIOID MISUSE IN THE CHARLOTTE AREA OF NORTH CAROLINA. OBJECTIVES: 1) BY THE END OF EACH PROGRAM YEAR, 80% OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE SELF-REPORTED A REDUCTION IN RECREATIONAL OPIOID USE AND PRESCRIPTION OPIOID MISUSE SINCE STARTING THE PROGRAM; 2) BY THE END OF EACH PROGRAM YEAR, 95% OF PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE RECEIVED A PSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT; 3) BY THE END OF EACH PROGRAM YEAR, 80% OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE CONTINUED THEIR RETENTION IN SERVICES; 4) BY THE END OF EACH PROGRAM YEAR, THE NUMBER OF ER VISITS AND HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE DECREASED BY 75% FROM THEIR YEAR PRIOR TO PROGRAM ENTRY; 5) BY THE END OF EACH PROGRAM YEAR, 80% OF PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ENGAGED IN PRIMARY CARE VIA VISITING A PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER AT LEAST ONCE IN THE PAST YEAR; 6) BY THE END OF EACH PROGRAM YEAR, 80% OF PARTICIPANTS THAT HAD SCORES OF 10 OR GREATER ON THE PHQ-9/GAD7 PRIOR TO PROGRAM ENTRY WILL SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN THESE SCORES; AND 7) BY THE END OF EACH PROGRAM YEAR, 80% OF PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE REPORTED AN INCREASE IN THE QUALITY OF THEIR LIFE COMPARED TO SURVEYS CONDUCTED PRIOR TO ENTRY IN THE PROGRAM.

PROJECT THRIVE: TECHNOLOGY-ASSISTED HEALTH & RESILIENCE THROUGH INTERVENTION, BUILDING VITALITY & ENGAGEMENT - PROJECT THRIVE WILL IMPLEMENT A TECHNOLOGY-ASSISTED SBIRT PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE CHARLOTTE METROPOLITAN AREA, SERVING A POPULATION OF MORE THAN 2.9 MILLION, INCLUDING 400,000 YOUTH AGES 12–21. THE PROJECT WILL SERVE 3,000 INDIVIDUALS IN YEAR 1 AND 17,000 OVER FIVE YEARS, WITH APPROXIMATELY 70% CONSISTING OF YOUTH WITH CHRONIC OR COMPLEX HEALTH CONDITIONS. PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE INDIVIDUALS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, CO-OCCURRING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONDITIONS, AND CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS. STRATEGIES INCLUDE UNIVERSAL SBIRT SCREENING SUPPORTED BY A SECURE AI PLATFORM, MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING, CBT, ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY, MAT, INTEGRATED CARE, AND RECOVERY-ORIENTED SERVICES. THE GOALS ARE TO EXPAND EARLY SCREENING AND INTERVENTION, REDUCE THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE USE, AND IMPROVE ACCESS TO TREATMENT. OBJECTIVES INCLUDE SCREENING 3,000 INDIVIDUALS IN YEAR 1 AND 3,500 ANNUALLY THEREAFTER, PROVIDING BRIEF INTERVENTION, BRIEF TREATMENT, AND REFERRALS TO TREATMENT WHILE IMPROVING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OUTCOMES AND QUALITY OF LIFE.

HEALTH CENTER PROGRAM - AMITY MEDICAL GROUP, INC (AMG) IS A 501(C)(3) FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER LOOK ALIKE (FQHC-LAL) THAT PROVIDES AFFORDABLE, CULTURALLY COMPETENT, QUALITY HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND VULNERABLE RESIDENTS IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA AND THE CHARLOTTE METROPOLITAN AREA. AMG WAS INITIALLY FORMED IN 2015 TO PROVIDE PRIMARY HIV MEDICAL CARE AND SUPPORT SERVICES TO PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS (PLWH/A) AND THE COMMUNITY IMPACTED BY AIDS/HIV, AND ON FEBRUARY 28, 2023, AMG RECEIVED NOTICE OF ITS DESIGNATION AS A FQHC-LAL. AMG CURRENTLY HAS SIX LOCATIONS THAT PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE PRIMARY MEDICAL CARE AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, AND AMG IS PLANNING TO ADD ANOTHER SITE IN A HIGH NEED ZIP CODE. AMG’S MISSION IS “TO PROVIDE PATIENT-CENTERED TEAM-BASED CARE WITH EXCELLENCE IN QUALITY, SERVICE AND ACCESS TO ALL DESPITE ANY BARRIERS, SIGMA, SOCIOECONOMIC OR HEALTH DISPARITY.” OUR VISION IS AS FOLLOWS, “AMITY MEDICAL GROUP IS TRUSTED BY PATIENTS, A VALUED COMMUNITY PARTNER, AND A CREATOR OF POSITIVE CHANGE FOR ALL PEOPLE. WE PROVIDE A CARING AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT SO THAT OUR PATIENTS MAY ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL OF HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.” THROUGH THIS NEW ACCESS POINTS (NAP) FUNDING, AMG IS PROPOSING TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE SERVICES AT SEVEN SITES IN THE CHARLOTTE METROPOLITAN AREA OF NORTH CAROLINA TO ADDRESS THE URGENT NEED TO INCREASE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE, AND HIGH-QUALITY HEALTH CARE FOR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND POPULATIONS. ACCORDING TO THE GEOCARE NAVIGATOR REPORT OF AMG’S SERVICE AREA, THERE ARE 1,804,900 RESIDENTS AND 26% OF THE RESIDENTS, 467,913 RESIDENTS, ARE LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS. HOWEVER, THE GEOCARE NAVIGATOR REPORT SHOWS THAT IN 2023, LESS THAN 13% OF THESE LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS, ONLY 58,056 RESIDENTS, WERE SERVED BY A HEALTH CENTER. AS A RESULT, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO EXPAND ACCESS TO COMPREHENSIVE QUALITY PRIMARY CARE HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO THE 409,857 LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS IN THE SERVICE AREA WHO ARE NOT SERVED BY A HEALTH CENTER. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE MULTIPLE MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AREAS (MUAS) AND HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREA (HPSAS) THROUGHOUT AMG’S SERVICE AREA. THROUGH THIS FUNDING, AMG WILL SERVE VULNERABLE POPULATIONS INCLUDING LOW-INCOME, UNINSURED, UNEMPLOYED, HOMELESS, MEDICAID, MIGRANT, RYAN WHITE, UNSERVED, AND UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS. TO MEET THE URGENT NEED TO PROVIDE INTEGRATED, COMPREHENSIVE, CULTURALLY COMPETENT, QUALITY PRIMARY HEALTH CARE AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES TO THESE UNSERVED, HIGH-RISK, LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS, AMG IS PROPOSING TO ESTABLISH SEVEN NAPS AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS: 1) 6010 E W T HARRIS BLVD STE A, CHARLOTTE, NC 28215-4084; 2) 10508 PARK RD STE 130, CHARLOTTE, NC 28210-8526; 3) 9835 MONROE RD STE B, CHARLOTTE, NC 28270-1471; 4) 824 LOWER DALLAS HWY, DALLAS, NC 28034-9368; 5) 7945 N. TRYON ST # 112, CHARLOTTE, NC 28262-3587; 6) 2300 RANDOLPH ROAD, CHARLOTTE, NC 28207-1127; AND 7) 3620 US-74, WINGATE, NC 28174. AMG ESTIMATES THAT THE ORGANIZATION WILL SERVE AT LEAST 14,000 UNDUPLICATED PATIENTS ACROSS ALL PROPOSED NAP SITES IN 2026.