Summary of Gaps The following is a summary of the gaps the RSCC has identified by category:
Community Education • • •
Lack of funding to continue the PAR Initiative and with it, Mental Health First Aid training. Lack of funding for a full-scale suicide prevention program – Talk Saves Lives. A means of tracking the effectiveness of community education initiatives.
Prevention and Early Intervention • • • • •
No central body to scale and spread successful prevention programs. Lack of school-based prevention services for nonMedicaid population. No intensive youth services for non-Medicaid population. Inadequate number of integrated physical/ behavioral health services. Lack of funding to expand and support the HopeSparks/PedsNW model with other providers.
Outpatient Services •
• • •
No central entity to track referrals, identify capacity gaps or coordinate system improvements. Limited access due to payer limits. Lack of treatment options for Medicare population. No Medicare coverage for SUD treatment.
Community Behavioral Health Services • Multidisciplinary teams need flexible payment structures allowing providers to bill for services such as outreach and transportation as MCIRT does. • Need flexible PACT-like teams available to a wider population. • Too few “step-down services” such as partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient treatment and day programs for those stabilizing from a crisis. • Few long-term intensive community behavioral health services. • No funding for services to support LRA compliance.
Crisis and Inpatient Services • Lack of inpatient treatment beds for those who are medically unstable, have dementia or developmental disabilities, live with traumatic brain injuries, or have a history of violence • Lack of services for those with cooccurring disorders • No sobering center in Pierce County • Lack of sustainable funding for Pierce County Co-responders • Too few “step-down” residential options Services for the Justice-involved • Lack of sustained funding for Trueblood diversion programs • Lack of Trueblood funding for justiceinvolved individuals in need of services beyond the narrow class Additional Needs in Pierce County Housing and Housing Support Services • Supportive and affordable housing • Funding for non-rental payment housing costs • Housing services for the co-occurring population Access to Care • No central access point (“universal front door”) for behavioral health services • No way to track referrals throughout the county • Access is limited by payer and insurance coverage Workforce Development • Community-based providers have difficulty retaining a well-qualified workforce due to competition with larger health systems.
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