AZ Discretionary Funding Fiscal Year 2023

The "Arizona 988 State and Territory Improvement" project will address the urgent need to strengthen crisis response and support systems in the state for 988 generated contacts. With a focus on reducing suicide rates and improving mental health outcomes, our interventions aim to enhance access to timely and effective care for individuals experiencing mental health emergencies. By leveraging evidence-based strategies, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, and implementing comprehensive prevention measures, we strive to save lives and improve the overall well-being of Arizonans. The project will focus on three key strategies: Lifeline Expansion and Enhancement: We will expand the capacity and accessibility of the state's suicide prevention helpline, ensuring that individuals in crisis have immediate access to trained professionals and resources. By increasing the helpline's coverage and availability, we aim to reduce the barriers to seeking help and provide critical support to those in need. Community Education and Awareness: Through targeted education campaigns, workshops, and training programs, we will raise awareness about suicide prevention, mental health, and the available support services. By empowering communities with knowledge and resources, we seek to reduce stigma, promote early intervention, and encourage help-seeking behavior among at-risk populations. Strengthening Post-988 Supports: We will strengthen partnerships among mental health providers, crisis centers, community organizations, and other stakeholders. These collaborations will facilitate a coordinated response to mental health emergencies, ensuring seamless transitions of care and comprehensive support for individuals in crisis. Our measurable objectives include: Increasing the capacity of the suicide prevention helpline, resulting in continued achievement of unanswered calls and wait times expectations. Executing mental health communications strategies reaching a minimum of 100 community organizations annually, leading to an increase in knowledge about suicide prevention and available resources. Training a network of community gatekeepers, including teachers, healthcare providers, and law enforcement officers, with the goal of reaching 300 individuals per year and improving their ability to identify and support individuals at risk of mental health emergencies. Throughout the lifetime of the project, we aim to serve the diverse population of Arizona, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups such as LGBTQIA2S+, Veterans, Older Adults (65+), Adolescents, American Indians, and Suicide Attempt Survivors/Survivors of Suicide Loss. By providing targeted interventions and support, we strive to reduce the state's suicide rates and create a culture of mental wellness and resilience. Through rigorous data collection and evaluation, we will assess the project's impact on suicide rates, help-seeking behavior, and the accessibility of mental health services. The findings will guide ongoing improvements and enable the replication of successful strategies in other regions. By investing in the "Arizona 988 State and Territory Improvement" project, we have a unique opportunity to save lives, strengthen communities, and create a statewide model for effective crisis response and support. This project aligns with Arizona's commitment to the well-being of its residents and its dedication to reducing the devastating impact of mental health emergencies. Estimated number of people to be served as a result of the award of this grant: 183600.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley (BGCAZ) will implement the Whole Child Approach (WCA) Program, an intervention to alleviate the social and emotional stress among children and youth as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic in our 12 club branches in Congressional District 3, serving more than 1,000 children and youth (ages 5-17). The WCA Program will provide an emphasis on children and youth who may be experiencing social/emotional stressors or require support for mental, behavioral, or physical health issues. This includes low-income, under-represented races and ethnicities, and students at risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system, and/or students with an incarcerated parent. It will promote recovery by introducing and teaching developmental skills that reinforce success in school, work, and life, using evidence-based Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curricula. The program model includes trauma-informed approaches and age-specific therapeutic activities that support life skills, academic achievement, communication, and other interpersonal skills. Children will have the opportunity to engage with caring adults, interact with peers, and play age-appropriate games while learning more about themselves and how they interact with others and the world around them. Mental health assessments and evidence-based approaches will be incorporated into group activities that include trauma-informed care (TIC), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and the MATRIX model for potential substance use issues. This collaborative approach, led by BGCAZ, will work to fill the serious mental health service delivery gaps prevalent in Arizona, such as the lack of access to behavioral health support and clinical treatment. To address these challenges, BGCAZ will subcontract with Terros Health, Inc., a non-profit healthcare company focused on the whole person, to provide integrated primary care and specialized mental health and substance use treatment for children and families. This is a streamlined effort to address the complexities around provider shortages in serving the thousands of Arizona children and youth BGCAZ helps.

Project Abstract Summary- Oklahoma FY 2023 Solari Cooperative Agreements for Follow-Up Programs NOFO FG-23-003. Project Summary: Solari will provide enhanced follow-up services to 988 callers in Oklahoma to reduce suicide attempts. Individuals provided enhanced follow-up services will continue to receive services for at least 90 days and potentially up to 12 months based on clinical acuity. Solari works collaboratively with other providers, including several 911 PSAP centers, across Oklahoma to assist individuals in accessing the service they need when they need it. This includes dispatching mobile crisis services when necessary as well as collaborating with higher levels of care if needed. Solari works to minimize caller involvement with law enforcement and provides diversion to allow law enforcement to return to the needs of the community. Solari will continue to educate the public and providers in Oklahoma about 988 with a focus on underserved communities, including targeted community forums. Oklahoma's callers represent a mix of rural, urban, and Tribal domains who will all be targeted in these efforts. Solari will collect demographic data on all callers to the program. Volume will be contingent on the clinical acuity of callers and is expected to rise over the three years of the program due to increased awareness and promotion of 988 in Oklahoma. Solari has established the following goals and outcomes for the program: 1. Increase acuity stability. 50.0% of follow-up participants rated as low, minimal, medium on assessments completed within the first 90 days of program participation. 75.0% of follow-up participants rated as low, minimal, medium on assessments completed within the first 180 days of program participation. 2. Increase connection to referred community support. 50.0% of follow-up participants confirm connection to at least one referred community support within 45 days of program participation. 75.0% of follow-up participants confirm connection to at least one referred community support within 90 days of program participation. 3. Enhanced outreach options by the end of year 2 by adding in other outreach methods such as text. Per SAMHSA, Solari will transition text and chat to our internal system in year 2 at which time we will begin the process of implementing alternative outreach method of text. Review and update policies and procedures to ensure compliance with necessary state and federal statutes for non-telephonic outreach from July 2024 to September 2024. Update EHR and train on new consent form and process with follow-up care coordinators from September 2024 through December 2024. Implement alternative outreach methods beginning in January 2025. 4. Increase awareness of the 988 follow-up program and goals. Educate at risk populations of the 988 and 988 follow-up services available by participating in targeted community forums at least once per quarter during year. Educate the provider community who serves at risk populations by providing presentations on Oklahoma 988 and Oklahoma 988 follow-up services available at least once a quarter during year 1.

The overall purpose of the University of Arizona's American Indian Research Center for Health (AIRCH) and Southwest Institute for research on women (SIROW) co-led, American Indian and Native Alaska Center of Excellence (AIAN CoE) is to create a center to develop and strengthen behavioral health agencies to better serve and advocate for AIAN populations in order to improve health outcomes and reduce behavioral health disparities. The goals of the project are to, 1) Build relationships with SAMHSA stakeholders, other related SAMHSA TTA providers, Tribal Epidemiology Centers and other key stakeholders to collaboratively support SAMHSA's goal of addressing AIAN specific behavioral health disparities for AIAN populations and to avoid duplicative TTA services, 2) Establish a national AIAN CoE Steering Committee that includes AIAN behavioral health experts, behavioral health providers, other providers, and people with lived experience to identify issues and guide the CoE, 3) Provide culturally-responsive training and technical assistance to improve processes and practices in the delivery of behavioral health treatment and recovery services to reduce disparities for AIAN community member's, 4) Develop and deliver in-person, virtual and on-demand trainings, disseminate public facing tools, organize resources and increase reach of messaging related to behavioral health disparities to increase the quality of service delivery for AIAN communities, 5) Convene and annual Leadership Academy focused on increasing knowledge, skills, and professional development opportunities, for AIAN behavioral health leaders, and both virtual and in-person Policy Academies to do in depth on crafting policies and strategies within regions to address behavioral health disparities, and 6) to provide an evaluation of the project activities and longitudinal improvements for AIAN clients in both policy and practice. We will also develop an electronic resource library to be housed on the AIAN CoE website that contains a vast array of resources for providers, includes current data trends and houses the on-demand training series.

Family Pride Initiative is a collaboration between the University of Arizona Southwest Institute on Women (SIROW-applicant agency), the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF), Charlie Health, Palo Verde Behavioral Health and University of Arizona Professor of Family Studies and Human Development, Russ Toomey. The Family Pride Initiative is a SAMSHA funded grant for Family Counseling and Support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex+(LGBTQI+) Youth and their Families. (Short Title: LGBTQI+ Family Support). The proposed Family Pride Initiative aims to reduce disparities and improve outcomes for LGBTQI+ youth in Tucson and southern Arizona by strengthening supports for caregivers, families, and providers. The program will educate caregivers using evidence-based practices AFFIRM or the Family Acceptance Project. Counselors and their supervisors will obtain training on LGBTQI+ best practices and resources including the previously mentioned evidence-based practices. The community as a whole will receive education and support through media campaigns including media outlets, social media, and online resources. Our behavioral health collaborators will provide individual and family counseling to youth and families needed access to behavioral health or help supporting LGBTQI+ youth.

The overarching goal of this project is to enhance Lifeline center staffing and infrastructure capacity to ensure that Lifeline centers can respond to 988 contacts (including calls, chats, and texts) originating in Arizona. The project approach includes developing and supporting state, regional, and local level collaborations, and service enhancements to develop and implement best practices to comprehensively address the full continuum of care related to 988 contacts. Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) intends to work with the lifeline centers to identify the actual staffing needed to meet the projected call volume as well as continue to monitor actual performance and call volume data to adjust the plan to maintain the target answer rates. AHCCCS will also continue to partner with the Lifeline centers as an entry hub for crisis services and ensure alignment with the AHCCCS crisis system. The goal will be for lifeline callers to be seamlessly connected to the full system of care when needed, including mobile crisis teams, and facility-based stabilization, such as crisis stabilization units, and behavioral health services that may be clinically appropriate.