Salem, MA, September 26, 2018– North Shore Community Health received $371,000 in federal funding to expand its existing substance abuse and behavioral health treatment services. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) HRSA awarded $352 million to increase access to substance use disorder and mental health services through the Expanding Access to Quality Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Services (SUD-MH) to 1,232 community health centers across the nation.
The awards support HHS’s Five-Point Opioid Strategy, which launched last year to empower local communities on the frontlines of the national epidemic. “HRSA is committed to fighting this crisis by supporting our grantees with resources, technical assistance, and training to integrate behavioral health care services into practice settings and communities,” said HRSA Administrator George Sigounas MS, Ph.D. “These funds enable HRSA grantees to continue to implement or expand substance use disorder and mental health services across the Nation.”
“Given that we are a medium size community health center; this is a very significant award. It affirms our commitment to participate in the efforts to combat the opioid abuse epidemic that is raging in the communities we serve,” said Margaret Brennan, CEO of North Shore Community Health. “We are currently seeing over 300 people who are struggling with substance abuse and the care we provide is very comprehensive. This funding will allow us to provide more care to those we are seeing now, expand to see new patients, and see more people who are struggling with behavioral health issues. With continuing support from the Federal Government and a new campaign we have launched to attract private giving, we are very proud of the success we have had over the last several years,” added Brennan.
North Shore Community Health is an NCQA certified Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Home with three family practice sites that include Salem, Peabody, and Gloucester Family Health Centers. These sites have medical, dental, substance abuse treatment, and behavioral health services and care for individuals and families of all ages. NSCH also has two School-Based Health Centers (Salem High School Teen Health Center and Peabody Veterans War Memorial High School Teen Health Center) and provides behavioral health care on site at Collins Middle School, Nathaniel Bowditch, Bates and Bentley Schools in Salem. No one seeking care at any of our sites will be denied access to services due to inability to pay as the health center uses a discounted/sliding fee scale based on family size and income. NSCH also provides translation services, outreach and enrollment services and health education. The health center is governed by a Board of Directors where more than 50% of the Board are also patients. North Shore Community Health is a member of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and the National Association of Community Health Centers.
North Shore Community Health has partnered with Salem and Peabody school districts to offer services to their students.
Updated: 05/01/2018 04:36:17 PM EDT
By Katie Lannan
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
Excerpt:
Dr. Damian Archer, the chief medical officer of North Shore Community Health, called it “absolutely necessary” to think about how to stabilize health care centers.
“We have demonstrated what our value is to the commonwealth, and I think we just need that support in order to carry that baton a little bit further down the track of helping health care to the next level,” he said.
Archer said workforce retention is among the greatest challenges facing community health centers, which can struggle to pay salaries that are competitive with other institutions.
“We can’t keep up pace with what their needs are,” he said of clinicians and other workers. “They come with these sort of golden hearts and want to do a lot of passionate, driven, compassionate work, but they have loans and they have other needs that need to be met, which we can’t really fight with.”
The Health Policy Commission recently announced that Salem Family Health Center has met the requirements to be designated as PCMH PRIME Certified.
The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, in collaboration with NCQA, developed the PCMH PRIME Certification Program, which identifies criteria that are key to integrating behavioral health care into primary care and certifies practices that meet a majority of these criteria.
Practices meet PCMH PRIME criteria by demonstrating capabilities in a majority of the following areas:
• Behavioral Health Integration: Integration of behavioral health through agreements, co-location or provider integration.
• Comprehensive Health Assessment: Comprehensive health assessments that include screenings for behavioral health conditions, such as depression, post-partum depression, anxiety, developmental delays and substance use disorder.
• Identifying High-Risk Patients: A system for identifying high-risk patients for targeted care management.
• Referral Tracking and Follow-Up: Tracking and following up on referrals to specialists, including behavioral health care providers.
• Evidence-Based Decision Support: Using evidence-based guidelines to make decisions about support for mental health and substance use disorders.
• Addiction Treatment: Medication-assisted treatment for addiction.
Peabody Family Health Center has met the requirements to be designated as PCMH PRIME Certified.
Salem, MA, January 23, 2018– The Health Policy Commission (HPC) has announced that Peabody Family Health Center has met the requirements to be designated as PCMH PRIME Certified.
The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC), in collaboration with NCQA, developed the PCMH PRIME Certification Program, which identifies criteria that are key to integrating behavioral health care into primary care and certifies practices that meet a majority of these criteria. Practices meet PCMH PRIME criteria by demonstrating capabilities in a majority of the following areas: Behavioral Health Integration: Integration of behavioral health through agreements, co-location or provider integration. Comprehensive Health Assessment: Comprehensive health assessments that include screenings for behavioral health conditions, such as depression, post-partum depression, anxiety, developmental delays and substance use disorder. Identifying High-Risk Patients: A system for identifying high-risk patients for targeted care management. Referral Tracking and Follow-Up: Tracking and following up on referrals to specialists, including behavioral healthcare providers. Evidence-Based Decision Support: Using evidence-based guidelines to make decisions about support for mental health and substance use disorders. Addiction Treatment: Medication-assisted treatment for addiction.
Peabody Family Health Center is one of North Shore Community Health three family practice sites that include Salem Family Health Center, Peabody Family Health Center, and Gloucester Family Health Center. These sites have medical, dental and behavioral health services and serve individuals and families of all ages. NSCHI also has two School-Based Health Centers (Salem High School Teen Health Center and Peabody Veterans War Memorial High School Teen Health Center). No one seeking care at any of our sites will ever be denied access to services due to inability to pay. We offer a discounted/sliding fee scale based on family size and income. You may apply for a discount at the front desk when you arrive at any of our sites. We also offer translation services, outreach and enrollment services and health education. We are governed by a Board of Directors where more than 50% of the Board are also patients. North Shore Community Health is a member of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and the National Association of Community Health Centers.
Gloucester Family Health Center has met the requirements to be designated as PCMH PRIME Certified.
Salem, MA, January 23, 2018– The Health Policy Commission (HPC) has announced that Gloucester Family Health Center has met the requirements to be designated as PCMH PRIME Certified.
The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC), in collaboration with NCQA, developed the PCMH PRIME Certification Program, which identifies criteria that are key to integrating behavioral health care into primary care and certifies practices that meet a majority of these criteria. Practices meet PCMH PRIME criteria by demonstrating capabilities in a majority of the following areas: Behavioral Health Integration: Integration of behavioral health through agreements, co-location or provider integration. Comprehensive Health Assessment: Comprehensive health assessments that include screenings for behavioral health conditions, such as depression, post-partum depression, anxiety, developmental delays and substance use disorder. Identifying High-Risk Patients: A system for identifying high-risk patients for targeted care management. Referral Tracking and Follow-Up: Tracking and following up on referrals to specialists, including behavioral healthcare providers. Evidence-Based Decision Support: Using evidence-based guidelines to make decisions about support for mental health and substance use disorders. Addiction Treatment: Medication-assisted treatment for addiction.
Gloucester Family Health Center is one of North Shore Community Health three family practice sites that include Salem Family Health Center, Peabody Family Health Center, and Gloucester Family Health Center. These sites have medical, dental and behavioral health services and serve individuals and families of all ages. NSCHI also has two School-Based Health Centers (Salem High School Teen Health Center and Peabody Veterans War Memorial High School Teen Health Center). No one seeking care at any of our sites will ever be denied access to services due to inability to pay. We offer a discounted/sliding fee scale based on family size and income. You may apply for a discount at the front desk when you arrive at any of our sites. We also offer translation services, outreach and enrollment services and health education. We are governed by a Board of Directors where more than 50% of the Board are also patients. North Shore Community Health is a member of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and the National Association of Community Health Centers.
Salem Family Health Center has met the requirements to be designated as PCMH PRIME Certified.
Salem, MA, January 23, 2018– The Health Policy Commission (HPC) has announced that Salem Family Health Center has met the requirements to be designated as PCMH PRIME Certified.
The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC), in collaboration with NCQA, developed the PCMH PRIME Certification Program, which identifies criteria that are key to integrating behavioral health care into primary care and certifies practices that meet a majority of these criteria. Practices meet PCMH PRIME criteria by demonstrating capabilities in a majority of the following areas: Behavioral Health Integration: Integration of behavioral health through agreements, co-location or provider integration. Comprehensive Health Assessment: Comprehensive health assessments that include screenings for behavioral health conditions, such as depression, post-partum depression, anxiety, developmental delays and substance use disorder. Identifying High-Risk Patients: A system for identifying high-risk patients for targeted care management. Referral Tracking and Follow-Up: Tracking and following up on referrals to specialists, including behavioral healthcare providers. Evidence-Based Decision Support: Using evidence-based guidelines to make decisions about support for mental health and substance use disorders. Addiction Treatment: Medication-assisted treatment for addiction.
Salem Family Health Center is one of North Shore Community Health three family practice sites that include Salem Family Health Center, Peabody Family Health Center, and Gloucester Family Health Center. These sites have medical, dental and behavioral health services and serve individuals and families of all ages. NSCHI also has two School-Based Health Centers (Salem High School Teen Health Center and Peabody Veterans War Memorial High School Teen Health Center). No one seeking care at any of our sites will ever be denied access to services due to inability to pay. We offer a discounted/sliding fee scale based on family size and income. You may apply for a discount at the front desk when you arrive at any of our sites. We also offer translation services, outreach and enrollment services and health education. We are governed by a Board of Directors where more than 50% of the Board are also patients. North Shore Community Health is a member of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and the National Association of Community Health Centers.
One of our clinicians, Allison Kilcoyne, who directs our high school health centers, was featured in an article in the New York Times entitled “Marijuana and Vaping Are More Popular Than Cigarettes Among Teenagers”.