H79SM085600

The purpose of this program is to enable community mental health centers to support and restore the delivery of clinical services that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Banyan Health Systems d/b/a Banyan Community Health Center, Inc. (Banyan) proposes the Banyan Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) Restoration Project (CRP), which responds to SAMHSA FOA No. SM-14-021: FY2021 Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) Grant Program.

The population of focus (POF) for the CRP is the majority minority (Black and Latinx) population of the Broward and Miami-Dade Counties (MDC), who reside primarily in the Little Havana, Cutler Bay, and Lauderdale Hills. These areas are the site of Banyan's new state-of-the-art integrated behavioral health and primary care center, whose services will center on Western Broward where integrated services are largely unavailable.

South Florida is well-known for its diverse population, but in Banyan's primary service area, the population is as much as 79.4% Latinx and 16.3% Black. The communities served by Banyan struggle with overwhelming poverty, with 54.5% having incomes below the federal poverty level. Unemployment is rampant, and 74.9% of adults have limited English proficiency. Additionally, 82.7% of low-income families are either unserved by a healthcare provider or declined care in the past year because they could not afford it.

Environmental factors such as crowded living conditions and substandard housing, combined with limited access to health and behavioral health care, have created conditions in which serious emotional disturbance (SED) among children is rising, and greater numbers of adults with serious mental illness (SMI) are going untreated.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also increased the need for services to address the opioid epidemic, which barely slowed down in Broward and MDC. There are more individuals requiring treatment for co-occurring mental and substance use disorders (COD), but no increase in availability or access to these critical services.

The proposed CRP will support and restore clinical services for more than 4,000 individuals and families with SED, SMI, and COD (2,500 in Year 1 and 1,500 in Year 2) who are best served in a CMHC setting. It will enable Banyan to devote clinical services, such as psychiatry, to those in greatest need and extend supportive services, such as a drop-in center, to seven days a week. It will also provide support and training to reduce burn-out, improve job satisfaction, and employee retention within Banyan.

Banyan suffered the cataclysmic loss of more than $4 million in the past 15 months, nearly 12% of its $35 million total budget, less than half of which was recovered through the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan. Without SAMHSA funding, Banyan will still face painful cuts in staff and services.

Banyan, which received HRSA's Gold Star for integrated behavioral health services in primary care in 2020, would also be forced to abandon much of the progress made on building integrated services over the past half-decade. Though these grant funds will support only Banyan's CMHC program, it will enable Banyan to restore the high-quality, comprehensive, fully-integrated behavioral health services for individuals with SED, SMI, and COD in Broward and MDC.

Banyan Community Health Center

NOT APPLICABLE

93.958 - Block Grants for Community Mental Health Services

Division of Grants Management [HHS - SAMHSA]

Miami, Florida 331341604 United States

Single Zip Code

Community Mental Health Centers Grant Program (SM-21-014)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 09/29/23 to 03/31/24 and the total obligations have decreased from $5,000,000 to $4,999,529.