Preferred Family Healthcare (dba Dayspring Community Services of Oklahoma)

PROJECT PURPOSE

The purpose of this project is to provide premium pay for Dayspring?s essential behavioral healthcare workers and alleviate provider burnout by recruiting and onboarding an additional 10-15 providers. Already a HRSA-designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area throughout the majority of the state, the escalating mental health needs of Oklahomans living through a global pandemic have placed increasing strains on providers. Oklahoma?s community mental health providers have reached unprecedented levels of burnout, and many providers are fleeing community mental health settings in favor of private practices where stress and caseloads significantly decrease while pay increases. Funding to pay premium wages to current and ongoing providers will help us remain fiscally competitive with other providers while addressing the increased mental health needs of our community. Provider migration is widening the service gap for our vulnerable, low-income population and further increasing the strain on existing providers. The pressures of managing increasing caseloads threaten the quality of services we are able to provide, which negatively impacts those we serve and those waiting to receive services. Dayspring lost approximately 20 providers over the last eighteen months. The caseloads of case managers have increased by 150%, going from an average of 20 clients to 50+.

EVIDENCE

The CDC advises that Americans address the escalating adverse mental health impacts associated with COVID-19 by increasing intervention and prevention efforts, particularly through community-level efforts that prioritize essential workers and vulnerable populations. By strengthening Dayspring?s community mental health workforce to better serve Oklahoma?s low-income and vulnerable populations, this proposed project directly aligns with CDC recommendations. Because 25% of ICU patients develop PTSD (Johns Hopkins Medicine), bolstering the trauma-informed behavioral health workforce is crucial to treating the mental health needs of COVID-19 survivors who were on ICU ventilators. Our trained providers will administer various evidence-based practices to improve mental health outcomes.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

COVID-19 has wrecked the mental health of Oklahomans, disproportionately affecting uninsured and low-income populations. Increasing rates of depression, anxiety, domestic violence, homelessness, and substance use have only intensified demands for treatment. But provider shortages continue to leave many on service waiting lists. Dayspring currently has 20 Oklahomans on a waitlist. The mass exodus of exhausted community mental health providers to private practice settings not covered by Medicaid insurance has likewise disproportionately impacted the state?s most vulnerable population. The chronic and prolonged exposure to a global pandemic which constantly threatens severe illness and death has left these Oklahomans with an increased need for trauma and grief support. Additionally, school closures have limited Dayspring?s ability to provide onsite services to children. And low-income school districts struggle to transition to a telehealth model.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Project performance will be measured from both an employer and service provider perspective. The number of all onboarded providers will be continuously documented. Every six months a check-in report from Dayspring?s Vice President of Integrated Health Services will verify the number of retained hires and their length of employment. The report will also highlight the length of employment of team members onboarded prior to ARPA funding. At project close, we will compare the number of onboarded individuals and the number of clients served, paying particular attention to the number of individuals on service waiting lists before and after ARPA funding.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma