Ozark Guidance Center Inc

OZARK GUIDANCE CENTER'S CMHC PROJECT - THE OZARK GUIDANCE CENTER'S CMHC PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON INDIVIDUALS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS (SMI), CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH SERIOUS EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE (SED); AND INDIVIDUALS WITH CO-OCCURRING MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (COD). OZARK GUIDANCE CENER IS THE STATE CONTRACTED COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER SERVING 8 COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. AS WITH MANY COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS ACROSS THE NATION, THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PRESENTED UNIQUE CHALLENGES THAT HACE HINDERED THE AGENCY'S ABILITY TO ADEQUATELY SERVE THE CLIENT POPULATION. THROUGHT THE PROJECT, OZARK GUIDANCE WILL WORK TO BETTER ADDRESS THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH SED, SMI, AND COD BY RESTORING AND ENHANCING THE DELIVERY OF CLINICAL SERVICES THAT WERE IMPACTED BY COVID-19. THE AGENCY'S CAPACITY TO SERVE THE POPULATION WILL BE INCREASED THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION OF REQUIRED ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS THE FOLLOWING GOALS. GOAL 1) EXPAND OZARK GUIDANCE'S CAPACITY TO SUPPORT CONSUMERS BY HIRING ADDITIONAL STAFF. GOAL 2) INCREASE ACCESS TO SERVICES. GOAL 3) BUILD STAFF CAPACITY THROUGH TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND TECHNOLOGY. THROUGHT THIS PROJECT, OZARK GUIDANCE PROPOSES TO SERVE AT LEAST 500 INDIVIDUALS PER YEAR (1,000 INDIVIDUALS OVER THE LENGTH OF THE PROJECT).

OGC CCBHC EXPANSION PROJECT - THE OGC CCBHC EXPANSION PROJECT SEEKS TO DEVELOP AN ASSERTIVE COMMUNITY TREATMENT TEAM (ACT) AND INTEGRATED CARE CLINIC TO ENHANCE ITS COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE ARRAY TO MORE FULLY MEET THE NEEDS OF THE INDIVIDUALS IN WASHINGTON AND BENTON COUNTIES. THE POPULATIONS OF FOCUS INCLUDE THE SERIOUSLY MENTALLY ILL WITH CO-OCCURRING HEALTH AND/OR SUBSTANCE USE DIAGNOSES AND THE GROWING MARSHALLESE AND LATINX COMMUNITIES. ARKANSAS HAS THE LARGEST POPULATION OF MARSHALLESE OUTSIDE THE MARSHALL ISLANDS AND A GROWING LATINX POPULATION BOTH ATTRACTED BY LOW UNEMPLOYMENT AND FACTORY WORK. WASHINGTON AND BENTON COUNTIES ARE THE HOME TO SEVERAL LARGE EMPLOYERS (INCLUDING WALMART AND TYSON FOODS) AND HAVE A POPULATION OF OVER 500,000. WHILE THIS IS A MORE DEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE AREA OF ARKANSAS IT IS ALSO REFLECTIVE OF THE STATE’S LARGE NUMBER OF SERIOUSLY MENTALLY ILL INCLUDING THOSE WITH SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEMS. ARKANSAS RATE OF SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS IS HIGHER THAN THE US AVERAGE. AND, STRIKINGLY, IN 2017 ARKANSAS WROTE 105.4 OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS FOR EVERY 100 PERSONS AT NEARLY DOUBLE THE US AVERAGE. OGC HAS BEGUN A MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT TO INCLUDE BUPRENORPHINE AND SUBOXONE AND HAS 13 CLIENTS CURRENTLY. THIS GRANT WOULD FURTHER DEVELOP THE PROGRAM AND PROVIDE RURAL OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES. OGC’S BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AGENCY IN BAXTER COUNTY WILL ACT AS A DESIGNATED COLLABORATING AGENCY PROVIDE OPIOID TREATMENT IN THIS UNDERSERVED RURAL AREA OF THE STATE. HEALTH DISPARITY ESPECIALLY IN THE FORM OF POVERTY CONTRIBUTES TO THE HIGH RATE OF HEALTH PROBLEMS INCLUDING OBESITY, HYPERTENSION, AND DIABETES. WHILE THERE ARE OTHER PROVIDERS IN THIS AREA, THE CARE AVAILABLE FOR THE SERIOUSLY MENTALLY ILL POPULATION IS FRAGMENTED. THERE ARE NO ACT TEAMS OR INTEGRATED CARE CLINICS - DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE SERIOUSLY MENTALLY ILL. IN ADDITION TO DEVELOPING AN ACT TEAM, OGC WILL PARTNER WITH TWO FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS TO PROVIDE INTEGRATED CARE. OGC SERVED 15,361 UNDUPLICATED CLIENTS IN WASHINGTON AND BENTON COUNTIES IN 2018 AND 2019 COMBINED. WHILE ALL OF WASHINGTON AND BENTON COUNTY CLIENTS WILL BEGIN RECEIVING CCBHC SERVICES BY THE END OF THE FOURTH MONTH OF THIS PROJECT, THIS PROJECT PLANS TO FOCUS ON A SUBSET OF APPROXIMATELY 500 INDIVIDUALS OVER TWO YEARS. SELECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT INCLUDE: GOAL 1. DEVELOP ACT TEAM SERVICES THAT PROMOTE STABILIZATION AND RECOVERY FROM MENTAL ILLNESS OBJECTIVE 1. BY THE END OF YEAR ONE, THERE WILL BE A 25% REDUCTION IN HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR CLIENTS SUPPORTED BY AN ACT TEAM, MEASURED FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR GOAL 2. IMPROVE THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF ADULTS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS THROUGH INTEGRATED SERVICES OBJECTIVE 1. BY THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR, CLIENT PHQ SCORES WILL DECREASE BY AN AVERAGE OF 25%. GOAL 3. INCREASE ACCESS TO COMMUNITY MENTAL AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT SERVICES TO TARGET POPULATIONS. OBJECTIVE 1. PROVIDE PEER OUTREACH TO 100% QUALIFYING LATINX AND MARSHALLESE CLIENTS BY THE END OF FIRST SIX MONTHS.

OZARK GUIDANCE CENTER BOONE COUNTY CCBHC-PDI PROJECT - THE PURPOSE OF THE BOONE COUNTY CCBHC-PDI PROJECT IS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT AND SUPPORT AS WELL AS INTEGRATED CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL OR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS WHO SEEKS CARE, INCLUDING THOSE WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESSES (SMI), SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (SUD), INCLUDING OPIOID USE DISORDER; CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH A SERIOUS EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE (SED); INDIVIDUALS WITH A CO-OCCURRING DISORDER (COD); AND INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH OR SUBSTANCE USE-RELATED CRISIS BY IMPLEMENTING A NEW CCBHC CLINIC IN BOONE COUNTY, ARKANSAS. OZARK GUIDANCE CENTER (OGC) AN AFFILIATE OF ARISA HEALTH IS THE STATE CONTRACTED COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER SERVING 8 COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. OGCS CATCHMENT AREA IS INCLUSIVE OF THE OZARK MOUNTAINS REGION, AN AREA PLAGUED WITH MANY PROBLEMS SUCH POOR HEALTH, AND MYRIAD ISSUES RELATED TO SUBSTANCE USE AND MENTAL ILLNESS. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL TARGET BOONE COUNTY. BOONE COUNTY IS LOCATED IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE. THE PRIMARY SITE FOR SERVICES PROVIDED THROUGH THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS 103 E. CRANDALL AVE, HARRISON AR 72601. IN BOONE COUNTY, SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH CONTRIBUTE TO A WIDE VARIETY OF HEALTH DISPARITIES AND INEQUITIES AND HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED RESIDENTS WELL-BEING AND QUALITY OF LIFE. WITH AN ESTIMATED POPULATION OF 37,890, BOONE COUNTY HAS A 13.6 % POVERTY RATE AND HAS A DISABILITY RATE OF 14.2%. THE COUNTYS CHALLENGES ARE FURTHER COMPLICATED BY FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE COUNTYS OVERALL POPULATION HEALTH INCLUDING SMOKING (22.6%), ADULTS WITH FREQUENT MENTAL DISTRESS (19.0%), DEATHS OF DESPAIR (50.5/100K), ADULTS IN POOR GENERAL HEALTH (23.6%), PREVALENCE OF HEART DISEASE (6.8%), DIABETES PREVALENCE (10.1%), OBESITY PREVALENCE (33%), PREVENTABLE HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS AMONG MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES (3,939/100K), AND 10% OF THE POPULATION WITH NO HEALTH INSURANCE. ADDITIONALLY, BOONE COUNTY HAS A DOCUMENTED HOMELESS POPULATION OF 390 AND BOONE COUNTYS VIOLENT CRIME RATE (551.2/100K) OVER DOUBLES THE NATIONAL VIOLENT CRIME RATE OF 204.5/100K, OPIOID DISPENSING RATE OF 81.20 PER 100 PEOPLE, AND 464 NARCOTIC ARRESTS IN 2020-2021. THROUGH THE BOONE COUNTY CCBHC-PDI PROJECT OZARK GUIDANCE CENTER AIMS TO IMPROVE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS. TO THIS END, OZARK GUIDANCE HAS IDENTIFIED 4 PROJECT GOALS. GOAL 1: INCREASE ACCESS TO, AND AVAILABILITY OF, HIGH-QUALITY COMPREHENSIVE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES THAT ARE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF BOONE COUNTY RESIDENTS WITH SMIS, SEDS, SUDS AND CODS. GOAL 2: SUPPORT RECOVERY FROM MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER CHALLENGES BY PROVIDING CCBHC SERVICES AND SUPPORTS IN BOONE COUNTY. GOAL 3: DELIVER INTEGRATED CARE FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND PHYSICAL HEALTH RISKS AND NEEDS. GOAL 4: ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY OF CCBHC SERVICES IN THE TARGETED AREAS. THE PROJECT WILL HAVE A SPECIFIC FOCUS ON ADDRESSING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISPARITIES THAT EXIST FOR RACIAL, ETHNIC AND GENDER MINORITIES INCLUDING MARSHALLESE, LATIN AMERICANS, AND MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY. MOREOVER, THE PROJECT WILL IMPROVE OUTCOMES THROUGH THE PROVISION OF EVIDENCE-BASED SERVICES AND MEASUREMENT-BASED CARE WHICH WILL HELP ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY OF SERVICES. IT IS EXPECTED THAT 75 INDIVIDUALS WILL BE SERVED ANNUALLY AND 300 INDIVIDUALS OVER THE PROJECT PERIOD. OGC IS REQUESTING $4 MILLION TO IMPLEMENT THIS PROJECT.