Rutgers Receives $4 Million Grant to Help Vulnerable Populations in Newark
Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care to provide assistance beyond traditional outpatient services
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has awarded a $4 million grant over two years to Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC).
The grant will fund the expansion of UBHC’s behavioral health outpatient program in Newark into a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) model.
The model is designed to help vulnerable patients by integrating behavioral health care with physical health care and by providing services such as case management, supported employment and assistance with housing and benefits.
Populations to be served include adults with mental illness and substance use disorders and children with serious emotional disturbances. The new model will improve access to high-quality, community-based mental and substance use disorder services and treatment of co-occurring disorders. The model also will advance the integration of behavioral health with physical health care and implement evidence-based best practices.
The Newark expansion seeks to increase access to primary and preventive care services and to serve more people in ambulatory care in an effort to reduce the need for crisis and inpatient services. The expansion also aims to address behaviors that lead to substance abuse and to increase access for children and adolescents to screening assessment and treatment.
UBHC intends to serve 2,000 people annually and 4,000 people over the lifetime of the project.
“This infusion of SAMHSA resources will allow for improved access to care for individuals and families in the greater Newark area to address both mental health and substance abuse disorders including opioid related addiction,” said Frank Ghinassi, UBHC president and CEO. “Enhanced services will include ambulatory withdrawal management, medication assisted treatment [MAT] induction and follow-up MAT treatment, case management and a full range of traditional ambulatory treatment services. This CCBHC expansion will allow thousands of new individuals and families in the greater Newark region to receive the care they need to improve their overall health, recovery and quality of life.”
UBHC was one of the seven New Jersey agencies selected to participate in the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services CCBHC Planning Grant. Since July 2017, its three outpatient clinics (Edison, Monmouth Junction and New Brunswick) have been designated as Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics successfully providing enhanced services.