| Name | Bradley |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Franks |
| Home Address | 6049 Shallowford Rd Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421-1688 United States |
| Organization Name | Helen Ross McNabb Center |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Director of Greater Chattanooga Services. I provide administrative and clinical supervision of outpatient programming. |
| Organization Address | 6049 Shallowford Rd Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421-1688 United States |
| Website | https://www.mcnabbcenter.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4233775635 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 4232666751x1172 |
| Email Address | brad.franks@mcnabb.org |
| Alternate Email Address | brad.franks@mcnabb.org |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | The Helen Ross McNabb Center, Inc. (The McNabb Center) is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that was established as a community mental health center in 1948 as a child guidance clinic to help veterans and their families. During the course of its history, the organization has become a multi-service agency that provides high quality and cost-efficient mental health, addiction, rehabilitation, support, and recovery services to communities in the East Tennessee region. The McNabb Center has been successful for 74 years in providing mental health services throughout East Tennessee. Services are currently provided to approximately 36,000 people per year and existing programs are located in 15 distinct locations in 29 East Tennessee counties, including area schools, courts, prisons, and community-based sites. In 2013 The McNabb Center merged with the Fortwood Center in Chattanooga to guarantee services for the growing needs of residents of Hamilton and surrounding counties. In this community, the McNabb Center 0ffers a robust continuum of care for adults and children struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. The current service array includes: medication management, individual/family therapy, intensive community-based case management, multi-disciplinary community-based care, Tennessee Health Link, supported employment for individuals with a mental health and/or substance use diagnosis, Intensive Outpatient Program for substance use, parenting classes, school-based services, Peer Support and Stability Services, Homeless Services and Supportive Housing for those with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness. The Helen Ross McNabb Center has participated in crisis intervention training for Chattanooga Police Department for several years and this proposal continues to build upon partnerships with CPD by providing additional support when responding to calls involving individuals with mental health and addiction disorders. The Chattanooga Co-Response Team (CCRT) will allow for the City of Chattanooga to initiate a program strengthening a law enforcement and behavioral health partnerships. This program will further ensure public safety and continuity of care for those in behavioral health crisis. This concept, which is endorsed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Crisis Intervention Team International Inc. (CIT), will provide a pathway to foster community policing, increase stabilization of incidents, and reduce the criminalization of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The Co-Responder model selected consists of CPD CIT officers and Master’s Level Behavior Health clinicians who hold unique experience and expertise. The law enforcement officer and behavioral health professional ride together for an entire shift and jointly respond to crisis calls in the field by dispatch directly to incidents or by requests of other on-scene officers. As evidenced throughout evaluations of these programs nation-wide, several outcomes have been documented; increased efficiency of overall officer time, increased knowledge and implementation of de-escalation skills, and reduction in repeat calls and arrests. The Behavioral Health Co-Responder staff (Master’s level) will be available to assist and support officers during identified high volume times to work side-by-side with law enforcement in the community. The behavioral health co-responders will answer all calls assigned to the team, follow-up with individuals served after the initial contact, and work to decrease incarceration. Additionally, quarterly training for CIT officers on co-occurring topics during staff meetings would be provided. The Helen Ross McNabb Center has the Knoxville Co-Responder Program and upon awarding of funding the Chattanooga Co-Responder Team would utilize Knoxville internal staff to help train and consult with the Chattanooga Co-Response Team. We propose funding to the Helen Ross McNabb Center for $410,000 to cover the cost of four Masters Level staff as well as licensed supervision of the program from the McNabb Center leadership. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | The American Recovery Plan (ARP) funding requirement of responding to negative economic impacts specifically behavioral health care. This program provides additional community health/mental health workers to help community members involved in law enforcement situations access health/mental health services and services to address social determinant of health. The Chattanooga Co-Response Team will provide triage, assessment, and identify possible treatment options for individuals as well as the facilitation of a Mobile Crisis referral if indicated. The Behavioral Mental Health staff will work with the service recipients to ensure treatment options are reviewed, referrals are being made, appointments set, and all barriers to the individual are identified and addressed. Additionally, the ARP funding requirement of providing evidence based community violence intervention programs to prevent violence and mitigate the increase in violence during the pandemic is met by investing in community policing support and partnership aimed at increasing stabilization of incidents and reducing the criminalization of individuals suffering mental illnesses and substance use disorders. |
| Where would your project take place? | City of Chattanooga |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 410000.00 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | July 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | The center continues to ensure funding diversification to date. HRMC makes every effort to sustain services needed in the community, and many current programs remain active today, beyond their grant funded time frame, because of HRMC efforts to leverage and secure funding sources and streams. HRMC accepts TN Care and multiple private insurances and will make every effort to access these sources of payment. Current provider contracts exist for a variety of MCO’s in the TN Care partners program. Insurance will be accessed if the participants MCO approves the services and agrees to reimburse HRMC for services rendered. HRMC has successfully provide services which have been reimbursable by all three MCO’s serving Tennessee. Immediately upon notification of award, HRMC will begin efforts to secure continuation of funding through state and federal grants, third-party insurance and private fundraising initiatives. The Center has a long history of diversifying funding to continue grant-funded programs, and currently manages over 61 different funding sources. Likely, potential funding partners will include private foundations, TN Care, TDMHSAS Behavioral Health Safety Net, Medicare Advantage plans, various commercial insurance providers and???? |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | The Chattanooga Crisis Intervention Team police officers responded to an average of 85 mental health consumers each month of 2021. The CCRT outcomes are; Reduction in violent crime, increased access to mental health services, substance use, crisis services for Chattanooga residence, increased efficiency of overall officer time, increasing knowledge and implementation of de-escalation skills, and reduction in repeat calls and arrests. The Helen Ross McNabb Center tracks quality of outcomes for each program, with quality measurements which are reviewed monthly, quarterly and annually by the center leadership team. This data will be shared with CPD, the identified City of Chattanooga representative monthly. The use of a shared data system would all for the search of consumers between the Helen Ross McNabb Center and CPD. The Helen Ross McNabb Center’s behavioral health clinicians are able to search HRMC’s electronic medical records in the field verifying a history of treatment with the center. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | The Helen Ross McNabb Center has a long history of working with various funding sources. The center readily provides both fiscal and program data to ensure appropriate use of funds, barriers and successes related to program outcomes. This information would be provided within funding expectations as well as at any time during the funded period upon request. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness the cost for untreated illness is close to $300 billion annually due to lost productivity and other related expenses. Those without mental health or substance abuse treatment are more likely to miss work and engage in risk taking behaviors which results in increased visits to the ER, involvement with criminal justice systems, and homelessness. The cost to house an adult in jail is $220 per day. The cost of outpatient mental health services is $100 per day, saving tax payers around 50%. The Co-Responder Team would help decrease the number of incarcerations and hospitalizations through assessment and referral. According to the Chattanooga Crisis Intervention Team, an average of 85 consumers per month for the year 2021 were responded to. The Co-Responder model would assist each of these consumers and follow them through their course of treatment. The Co-Responder Team would help save tax payer dollars as well as provide support to community policing. The impact of a Co-Response team would free up police officer time so that officers can focus their efforts on community safety rather than seeking mental health and substance abuse resources for consumers. The Chattanooga Co-Responders program would enhance safety for Chattanooga residents and save tax payer dollars. The CCRT program would be an attractive program for the City of Chattanooga as it would serve the community with an evidence based effective and efficient model with proven progress in Knoxville, TN, Houston, TX, and Denver, CO. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | The need to engage others and build relationships and trust is required for success of this program. The McNabb Center will engage with the identified members of the City of Chattanooga Police Department to implement the Co Responder Team. Other identified community partners invested in the population served in this program will be brought into the implementation process. This includes but it not limited to members of emergency rooms, Crisis Stabilization unit, community mental health centers, social service entities and neighborhood associations and invested community members including city council. Strategies to share information and educate the community on program efforts, barriers and successes will aid in overall support of this initiative. The McNabb Center will consult with the City of Chattanooga and CPD to ensure the compliance of communication procedures. |
| Name | Gayle Lodato LCSW - Senior Director of Greater Chattanooga Services |
| Contact Information | 4236642849 |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | The Helen Ross McNabb Center has participated in the Chattanooga Crisis Intervention Team with CPD for over 8 years. The Helen Ross McNabb Center has a rich history of managing multiple fund sources and providing quality outcomes by filling gaps in systems. Our ability to provide this level of care is further evidenced by our history of partnering with the Knoxville Police Department. Knoxville Co-Responder program within the Helen Ross McNabb Center began in October 2020. Outcomes from 2021’s last quarter are: 209 completed support with consumers between October 2021 and December 2021. The average length of time for an initial contact was 53 minutes and only three of the 209 individuals went to jail following the contact. The Co-Responder Program in Knoxville has reduced time spent on mental health and substance abuse police calls and has reduced incarceration through increased linkage to treatment for consumers. |