| Name | Kathryn |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Briggs |
| Home Address | 1042 East 3rd Street, Suite 103 Chattanooga, TN - Tennessee 37403 United States |
| Organization Name | LifeSpring Community Health |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Development Director |
| Organization Address | 1042 East 3rd Street, Suite 103 Chattanooga, TN - Tennessee 37403 United States |
| Website | https://www.lifespringcommunityhealth.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4235675939 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 423-624-4846 |
| Email Address | k.briggs@lifespringcommunityhealth.org |
| Alternate Email Address | k.briggs@lifespringcommunityhealth.org |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | LifeSpring COVID Testing: In 2020 there was a significant and widely documented disparity in COVID-19 infections in minority and immigrant populations. When LifeSpring Community Health saw the need in our community for free, accessible COVID testing, we quickly converted our former location on McCallie Avenue into a drive-up testing site in the fall of 2020. That site has remained operational until the demand for testing required we relocate to a church parking lot nearby. In the fall of 2021, Cempa allowed us to relocate COVID testing to the upstairs of the 3rd and Central Medical Building. LifeSpring Community Health has been providing free and accessible COVID testing to the community since the fall of 2020 without interruption. We have applied for other funding to cover testing through June 2022 so this funding would ensure that we can continue providing testing for an additional 18 months in our community. We see our COVID testing initiative as a critical way to contribute to the health of the community we serve. LifeSpring Mental Health: In 2020, 81 LifeSpring families expressed a need for mental health services and we saw a 23% increase in the number of anxiety and depression referrals for children and youth. In response, LifeSpring launched a multi-phase Mental Health Initiative in 2021-2022. The goals of the initiative are to increase access to mental health services for children and families, increase awareness of mental health issues, reduce stigma around mental health conditions, reduce racial and ethnic inequities in mental health outcomes for children and youth, and reduce the long-term physical and psychological impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences. We are accomplishing these goals by covering the cost of counseling for LifeSpring patients in Spanish with a local LifeSpring partner. We have also partnered with the Hamilton County School District’s Newcomers program since 2019. The Newcomers program supports students at the Howard School who have recently immigrated to the United States. LifeSpring’s Community Health Workers facilitate group discussion for Newcomers one hour per week. During this time. Students are encouraged to share their story while gaining English language skills, learning emotional language and building emotional intelligence. The next phase of the Mental Health Initiative is to establish leadership so that we can address direct needs both in our clinic population as well as among the students in the Newcomer program. Our strategy is for LifeSpring to hire for two positions: Mental Health Director to lead our mental health initiative, pursue and manage mental health grants, workshops, programs, and oversee and supervise CHWs in Newcomers program. A Mental Health Provider to provide services to our pediatric patients and their family members. LifeSpring patients need mental health services that are accessible (64% of our patients are on Medicaid and 25% are uninsured) and culturally appropriate (47% of LifeSpring patients are Hispanic, 26% are African/American). This person will need to be credentialed to accept Medicaid. The Mental Health provider will work closely with LifeSpring providers, the LifeSpring COVID Response Team, and the Community Health Workers. In October 2021, the AAP, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in children’s mental health, citing the serious toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on top of existing challenges. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/17718 A mental health provider on staff at LifeSpring will enable us to provide mental health services for our pediatric patients for conditions prevalent in youth and exacerbated by the pandemic such as anxiety, depression and substance use disorders. Our patients and families already trust LifeSpring as their pediatric provider, and providing mental health services at LifeSpring would reduce the stigma associated with mental health and would eliminate barriers to access. LifeSpring is located on a bus line, provides Uber vouchers for appointments, and is located downtown, close to the neighborhoods where the majority of our patients live and go to school. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | LifeSpring COVID Testing: LifeSpring’s COVID testing initiative provides accessible COVID testing in downtown Chattanooga to all who are in need. It complements our COVID vaccine initiative in mitigating COVID-19, and avoiding costly medical expenses, and lost work and school time. LifeSpring Mental Health: LifeSpring Mental Health Services will address the growing need for culturally competent, affordable mental health counseling in a population that has suffered significant losses during the pandemic. Losses that range from the death of loved ones and providers; loss of income from decreased work or lost jobs; uncertainty of housing; food insecurity; and educational instability over the past 2 years of the pandemic. Anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation have increased in youth and added enormous burdens on already stressed parents and households. Our approach in addressing these needs is twofold - direct services which would provide counseling to patients and their families and community based activities which will develop mental health awareness, education and explore innovative ways to improve the mental health of youth in our community. |
| Where would your project take place? | LifeSpring COVID Testing: LifeSpring has provided COVID testing in various locations in downtown Chattanooga based on the needs of the community. We are currently testing in space provided by Cempa above our pediatric clinic at 1042 East 3rd Street. We are equipped with tents (walk-up and drive-through) to use for outdoor testing. LifeSpring Mental Health: In the short-term, LifeSpring Mental Health would be located on the 2nd floor of 1042 East 3rd Street, but in the longer term, LifeSpring Mental Health Services would be located in our former location on McCallie Ave in the 37404 zip code. We plan to tear down the current building to build a new building to house LifeSpring Mental Health/Community Health programs. |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 710000 |
| 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? | LifeSpring COVID Testing: It is difficult to anticipate the duration of this pandemic but we do know that we will continue to need equitable distribution and access to COVID testing beyond the pandemic as we do for other endemic infections. As a medical provider caring for at-risk populations, LifeSpring intends to continue providing COVID testing as long as it is needed in our community. For the purpose of this funding we are planning for services through December of 2023 LifeSpring Mental Health: LifeSpring Mental Health services will be integrated into the LifeSpring model and hopefully will be available to our community for years as the effects of the pandemic will surely have lasting impact. The project therefore will be to establish these services until revenue from insurance and ongoing funds from other sources make this a sustainable service. We anticipate this implementation phase to last 3 years. |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | LifeSpring COVID Testing: Obviously, more COVID tests does not equal progress or success. We want to provide testing for those who need it in order to take care of themselves, their families, and the community. Testing will help prevent exposure and infection, which will eventually diminish the need for testing. We will track the following metrics to measure progress: Number of tests Positivity rates Community case numbers Demand for testing LifeSpring Mental Health: We would use the following metrics to measure the project’s progress: Number of LifeSpring patient referrals for mental health services Number of patients who received mental health services at LifeSpring Number of participants in LifeSpring mental health workshops Number of patients and families reporting increased awareness of mental health issues, and reduced stigma around mental health conditions. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | LifeSpring COVID Testing: The LifeSpring COVID Team meets weekly with the Director of Nursing and the Executive Director to report on testing numbers, community numbers, staffing, etc. The LifeSpring Board of Directors meets monthly and provides governance and oversight of all LifeSpring initiatives. We track progress and submit reports to all funders contributing to testing and vaccine efforts LifeSpring Mental Health: The LifeSpring mental health provider would report directly to the LifeSpring Mental Health Director/Executive Director. Both positions will require state appropriate degrees and training. The counselor will need to maintain state licensure, required continuing education, and participate in national and/or state mental health associations to remain current on diagnosis and treatment modalities. The Mental Health Director will be accountable to granting agencies to report on objectives and outcomes. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | LifeSpring COVID Testing: Equitable access to testing enables those who need it to take care of themselves, their families, and the community. Timely testing will help prevent exposures and subsequent infection, which will eventually diminish the need for testing. An effective testing program will enable our community to do all the activities of normal life in healthy, safe ways. LifeSpring Mental Health: Trauma informed mental health services help individuals to heal and live productive lives. Providing these services will contribute to healing from the pandemic and the flourishing of our community. The pain, trauma, and loss of the COVID-19 pandemic have hit our most vulnerable communities the hardest. These same communities have not had access to culturally appropriate mental health services. For true healing to occur, we must care for the whole person: physically, mentally, and emotionally. This is why LifeSpring exists: to care for children, families, and the community holistically. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | LifeSpring COVID Testing: LifeSpring has partnered with local organizations, churches, and community partners to promote and implement COVID testing. We partnered with Cempa in the summer of 2020 to do pop-up COVID testing, and are now using space owned by Cempa to do COVID testing and vaccines. LifeSpring’s partnership with the City of Chattanooga to provide COVID vaccines at community centers and the downtown public library helped LifeSpring to become a trusted resource in our community. LifeSpring launched a multi-faceted marketing and communication plan in 2021 and saw significant increases in awareness and name recognition through our website, social media, testing and vaccine events. LifeSpring Mental Health: LifeSpring’s extensive community partnerships, our work with the Newcomer program at the Howard High School, and the need for accessible mental health services, will facilitate community buy-in for this initiative. The challenge right now is finding a mental health provider in Chattanooga that is affordable to uninsured patients. Finding one that accepts Medicaid and speaks Spanish is virtually impossible. Having a mental health provider in-house would meet a critical need in the communities we serve. |
| Name | Michele Pickett, MD |
| Contact Information | michele.pickett@lifespringcommunityhealth.org |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | |