A New Grant Addresses a Key Need
At CHP, we work to help our patients address not just their primary health care needs, but to holistically provide inclusive services that address the entire person and the root causes that impact their ability to live full and happy lives. To fulfill this goal, we pride ourselves on employing behavioral health providers that work to help patients with mental health concerns and medication treatments.
However, there continue to be areas where routine office visits alone cannot fully address complex issues stemming from the combinations of substance or alcohol use disorders, serious mental health, loneliness and isolation, and/or housing insecurity that we see amongst some patients.
In Berkshire County, the rate of occurrence of these issues is disproportionately high and it is common to see vulnerable patients repeatedly frequenting the emergency room for treatment for substance-use issues or acute mental health crises but much less often seeking primary care through scheduled visits. This pattern underscores the need for integrative healthcare services and an improved holistic approach to care.
In Fall 2024, we had the exciting opportunity to apply for a grant that would address these gaps, and, through our compelling application, we were recently awarded a five-year, $2.85 million grant from the Massachusetts Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) that will help foster and expand the integration and connection between primary care and behavioral health.
Winning this grant is indicative of the already strong foundation of behavioral health and primary care services that CHP was able to demonstrate to the State combined with the existing need for further support in Berkshire County.
Our grant team, which is led by Dr. Jonna Gaberman, Director of Adult Medicine and Dr. Dana Gruber, Clinical Psychologist along with Kim Loring, PMHNP, Director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Coach Gina Arnold, is hard at work establishing a foundation from which this new programming can grow.
“CHP is the main healthcare provider for all of Berkshire County, working with individuals and families from many different walks of life,” explains Dr. Gruber. “In a county that is very spread out and rural…being able to provide critical behavioral health and addiction services…will allow many more people to receive care,” she said.
Patients can now expect to be asked questions at their primary care visits that are aimed at better understanding alcohol use and patterns, and to offer them options if they are interested in addressing these concerns further. If, during an appointment, CHP’s primary care doctors believe that a patient would benefit from the wraparound
services that are being offered as part of the grant, they can discuss this with the patient and connect them with our intake coordinator/recovery coach to learn more.
Through this new programming, we hope to increase the feeling of comfort and safety that patients feel when addressing these sensitive and challenging issues. “We want to make sure that our healthcare sites feel like safe healthcare homes where there is little barrier to entry and where patients can access all the care they need or get support with referrals to other vital organizations in the community doing similarly important work,” says Dr. Gaberman.
“We see ourselves as caregivers and connectors and hope through this grant that we can not only transform and integrate the care we provide but also connect in a more meaningful way to other clinical and service organizations around us.”