S:US Receives $1.6 Million SAMHSA Grant To Integrate Primary Care At Mental Health Clinic
S:US has been awarded a four-year $1.6 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to integrate primary care services into an outpatient mental health clinic in Brooklyn. The grant will increase S:US’ capacity to improve access to primary care services; improve prevention, early identification and intervention; ensure holistic care; and ultimately improve the overall health of 275 unduplicated adults with serious mental illnesses.
The SAMHSA grant, which begins October 1, 2015, will specifically support S:US’ Wellness Works Collaboration which, in partnership with its primary care provider Project Renewal, will co-locate and fully integrate primary care services into its programming to help adults with serious mental illnesses better engage in medical care that will lead to improvement of their physical health. The program will serve individuals who live in Central Brooklyn neighborhoods (zip codes 11217 and 11238) that are characterized with the highest incidence of co-morbidity, hospitalization and mortality due to drug use, and lowest frequency of primary care engagement. Dr. Tiffany Cummins, a practicing psychiatrist who works for S:US, will serve as Program Director. The program will operate out of the S:US Recovery Center which offers outpatient mental health treatment, a psycho-social clubhouse, HIV and Hepatitis C testing and counseling, and employment services.
All too often individuals with serious mental illness ignore their whole health needs or are marginalized from conventional primary care providers We are excited to offer the community holistic, co-located primary care integrated within our Recovery Center.
The new grant enhances the services in S:US’ behavioral health treatment portfolio, which serves over 20,000 individuals in the greater New York City area.