Porter-Starke Services was recently awarded a $3 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAHMSA) to expand its Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs). The grant aims to increase access to high-quality mental health and addiction treatment for the community and integrate behavioral healthcare with medical care to improve client outcomes.
The grant will help Porter-Starke Services establish a program to assist individuals in both Porter and Starke Counties with serious mental illness; children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance; and those with substance use disorders, including opioid use disorders and co-occurring disorders. It will increase the number of mental health screenings done, increase addiction programming and medication-assisted treatment participation, reduce fatal and non-fatal overdoses, and enhance care coordination between medical and behavioral health facilities for patients.
“This grant gives us the opportunity to better tailor services to the needs of individuals in our community,” said Matt Burden, President/CEO of Porter-Starke Services. “The aim of the CCBHC model is to create a standard of care by ensuring a range of high-quality services, and having been a pilot site for the State’s previous CCBHC initiative, we are well-positioned to expand upon this type of programming.”
Todd Van Buskirk, Director of Community Support Services at Porter-Starke Services, will oversee the administration of the grant and establishment of an advisory work group that includes individuals with these disorders and their families, which will assist Porter-Starke Services in ensuring the most effective service design and delivery possible.
“Porter-Starke Services is excited for the opportunity to enhance our services in collaboration with our clients,” said Van Buskirk. “By further enhancing the level of care that individuals receive, we can continue to improve the systems already and place and help our clients achieve better healthcare outcomes.”
Funding will be provided over a two year period, beginning May 1, 2020 and concluding April 30, 2022. Porter-Starke Services expects to serve 1,000 individuals in the first year and an additional 1,500 in the second year.
