A new grant will help Terros Health, based in west Phoenix, expand its services to the underserved. The $ 4 million grant will improve mental health and drug use services for underserved patients and veterans. (Photo by Kevin Hurley / Cronkite News) Terros Health operates 16 locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area, including counseling centers, residential and day care facilities, and medical clinics. A federal grant will help a clinic in West Phoenix expand services for underserved patients. (Photo by Kevin Hurley / Cronkite News) PHOENIX – A clinic in west Phoenix expands mental illness and substance use disorder treatment for underserved individuals and veterans after securing a $ 4 million federal grant. Terros Health received funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service to improve access and care for complex mental illnesses and addictions. The grant enables Terros to adopt the so-called care model of the certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. The model focuses on “holistic” care with the aim of improving coordination so that patients can receive quick and thorough treatment through a single point of access instead of having to go through numerous specialists or agencies. With the funding, Terros will increase screenings, offer a variety of outpatient care, and improve rehabilitation services at its 27th Avenue clinic. Ray Young, the clinic’s site manager, said the new services are in line with Terros’ goal of serving the medically underserved. The healthcare company operates 16 locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area, including counseling centers, residential and day care facilities, and medical clinics. “We are doing everything we can to ensure that the clinics are strategically located in geographic areas where the population is underserved,” said Young. The grant will also enable Terros to provide mobile health services, care for patients in courts and prisons, and improve veteran care through a partnership with the Department of Veteran Affairs. Terros plans to hire peers for veterans and specialists to help with housing and re-entry into society. Ray Young, site manager of the 27th Avenue Terros Health Clinic, says a new $ 4 million grant will enable the clinic to expand health care, but also accommodate education, job assistance, and reintegration services such as interview coaching . (Photo by Kevin Hurley / Cronkite News) Mental illnesses in the United States are increasingly going untreated, according to a study by the national nonprofit Mental Health America. Key findings from the group’s most recent report show that more than half of adults with a mental illness are not receiving treatment, although suicidal ideation among adults has increased every year since 2011. And more than 2.5 million teenagers suffer from depression, with teenagers of color at increased risk. Substance use has also increased, federal statistics show, with deaths from overdoses reaching record highs amid the pandemic. New statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the number of overdose deaths for the first time in the US exceeded 100,000 over a 12-month period.Drug use disorders are generally no higher among racial or ethnic minority groups, these groups are treated less often. Systemic social inequalities and discrimination can exacerbate this inequality. For example, during the pandemic, Hispanic adults reported a higher prevalence of stress from lack of food or stable housing, the study found. Young said the 27th Avenue Clinic will be able to use the grant money to expand home education, employment placement, and reintegration services such as interview coaching. “Suppose someone comes in and is homeless and they come for services, but they don’t know how to apply for an apartment,” he said. “With this fellowship, we now have a housing specialist.” Young hopes the additional services will help reduce relapses and hospital stays, with a ripple effect that extends beyond individual patients. “It’s huge and I think we sometimes forget about the implications. We can touch a single patient, but that patient touches their family, loved ones, and this community. And it grows and grows. ”In addition to recreation, wellness and trauma-informed care, the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model focuses on integrating physical and behavioral health from examination and diagnosis to treatment planning and support services. More than 430 clinics operate in 40 states. Terros joins two other Arizona clinics: Valle de Sol in Phoenix and Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services in Benson. Related article In an October report, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing found that the model improves mental and physical care in a number of areas. The model increased the number of employees in several states and “allowed vendors to hire and retain key employees.” Peggy Chase, president and CEO of Terros Health, said the company applied for the grant because of the increased need for holistic health care. The money will enable Terros consultants and doctors to improve treatment of the mind and body at the same time. “Even with such simple blood pressure: What is going on? Is it a physical state or is it possibly fear and something that occurs within the mental state? ”She said. Chase added that the money will allow Terros to build trust and address community needs. “They haven’t had access to preventive medicines and services for generations. And that’s why we really want them to trust us to build that relationship and change that paradigm, “she said. Ultimately, Chase hopes to extend that level of care beyond the clinic on 27th Avenue.
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