WV Discretionary Funding Fiscal Year 2023

MU proposes to expand our existing, extensive training infrastructure to provide mental health awareness training to individuals including school personnel; youth leaders in high school and institutions of higher education including those studying criminal justice-related topics; law enforcement and other emergency first responders; veterans assistance programs; armed services members and their families, faith communities, and community coalitions on how to appropriately and safely identify and respond to individuals with mental health disorders. Additionally, training for first responders, law enforcement, and others who respond to crisis situations will include how to employ de-escalation techniques particularly with individuals experiencing Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and/or Serious Emotional Disease (SED). MU will collaborate with community coalitions to provide ‘Train the Trainer” opportunities to assist with sustainability of the training program and to support expanding the training to more remote and underserved areas. Collaboratives will also be leveraged to expand access to resource information regarding assistance with severe mental health issues. MU’s proposed Appalachian Mental Health Awareness Training Hub (MHAT Hub) will provide training to 2,700 individuals throughout the West Virginia (WV) Bureau for Behavioral Health (BBH) Region 5, which is the most populous region in WV and includes the following counties: Boone, Cabell, Clay, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Mingo, Putnam, and Wayne Counties. The overall purpose of the MHAT Hub is to create a model that can adapted throughout WV to increase the effectiveness and safety of services provided to those experiencing mental health issues enhancing the safety and efficacy of services provided out of the direct care setting. Goals will include: Goal 1. Increase number of individuals (such as: school personnel; youth leaders in high school and institutions of higher education including those studying criminal justice-related topics; law enforcement and other emergency first responders; professionals serving veterans; armed services members and their families, faith communities, and community coalitions) able to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders and appropriately respond, particularly SMI and/or SED. Goal 2. Train emergency first responders including law enforcement, individuals serving veterans and military personnel to identify persons with a mental health disorder and effectively employ crisis de-escalation techniques. Goal 3. Enhance current and establish new linkages with school and/or community-based mental health-related agencies to refer individuals with the signs or symptoms of mental illness to appropriate services.

The Upper Ohio Valley Mental Health Awareness Training Project provided by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Greater Wheeling will increase mental health awareness by training school personnel, middle and high school students, law enforcement, veterans, and family members, with a secondary focus on college students in the criminal justice and education programs to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders, particularly serious mental illness (SMI) and/or serious emotional disturbances (SED) and how to appropriately and safely respond to both youth and adults developing a mental health condition or experiencing a mental health crisis, particularly individuals living with SMI and/or SED and refer individuals to the appropriate mental health services when needed. Over 5 years, 1,200 individuals will be trained annually in one of the four evidence-based mental health awareness programs: Adult Mental Health First Aid, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Teen Mental Health First Aid or NAMI Ending the Silence in a ten-county area within the States of Ohio and West Virginia. The project goals are to increase mental health awareness by training the previously stated individuals in the selected evidence-based training so they can recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health conditions, identify youth and adults with a mental health condition, employ crisis de-escalation techniques, apply an action plan of support, and connect the population of focus to the appropriate school or community based mental health agency within the created resource guide. These goals will be accomplished by developing a resource map of all agencies and organizations who employ or serve the intended individuals of the training within the project service area and offering the appropriate evidence-based training to 20% of these organizations within the first year of the grant and an additional 20% every year afterwards to accomplish 100% of agencies and organizations identified and to create a resource guide of community based mental health services within project service area and nationally that the population of focus can be referred to when appropriate.

The West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health (BBH) will use 85% or more of this 988 Cooperative Agreement for subgrant award to First Choice Services (FCS), the state's single 24/7 call center for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, to build its workforce in preparation for the national launch of 988 in July 2022; increase its in-state call answer rate to 90% or more by June 15, 2022; add in-state chat and text responses in 2022; and meet other key performance indicators (KPIs). The remaining 15% or less of this grant will provide funding for a combined .3 FTE Project Director and .2 FTE Evaluator at BBH to ensure 988 grant goals, objectives, KPIs, and reporting requirements are met, including quality improvement, follow-up services, and sustainability planning for the call center and behavioral health crisis continuum of care.

The West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health (BBH) Cooperative Agreement for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Planning Grant will enhance the current efforts the state of WV is currently pursuing to develop CCBHC infrastructure to serve people of all ages, across the state. BBH and the WV Department of Health and Human Resources' Bureau for Medical Services have worked closely with other cross systems agencies to prioritize efforts to establish CCBHCs as supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and 2022 state legislation. This proposal seeks planning funds to: 1. Establish certification infrastructure for providers participating in the CCBHC Demonstration Program, ensuring compliance with WV CCBHC Certification Criteria. 2. Establish a Prospective Payment System (PPS) for behavioral health services furnished by a CCBHC in accordance with CMS guidelines. 3. Identify providers with the capacity to serve as CCBHCs and develop an implementation plan that will enable CBHC services statewide in WV. 4. Develop and enhance the state data collection and reporting capacity necessary to participate in the CCBHC Demonstration Program and provide technical assistance to clinics to build data collection infrastructure and capacity to participate in the CCBHC program. 5. Develop the state's CCBHC Demonstration Program application for submission by March 2024 to participate in the 4 year Demonstration Program, complying with all SAMHSA and CMS requirements related to criteria, PPS, and other essential components of the program.

The West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health Cooperative Agreement for Innovative Community Response Partnerships Program will create mobile crisis response teams to serve adults, children and youth experiencing a behavioral health crisis in Kanawha County, WV. The dedicated support for the creation of these teams will propel the development of crisis services in WV allowing for greater coordination in the development of this program, alongside the rollout of 988, with local law enforcement resources and 911 Public Safety Answering Points. Progress made in the development of this program will be scalable and will influence and enhance the development of further teams across WV.

Hope House Ministries, Inc. is a recovery community organization for anyone in need of support of a recovery community and a sober living facility for women. Serving Jackson County, West Virginia and its population of 27,791 residents is a rural community with very few resources. Hope House seeks to increase the capacity to implement, sustain, and improve effective Recovery Supported Services to the residents of Jackson County, West Virginia. Through increasing offerings of 12 step programs, faith based recovery programs, and sober living facilities, Hope House Ministries is working to change the tide of Jackson County and help individuals work through the recovery process to become active working citizens in the community.