VALHALLA, N.Y. (May 28, 2020) - The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) today announced $1 million in grants to 10 Hudson Valley organizations to address behavioral health and substance use disorders, primary care accessibility and engagement, and linkages to social determinates of health services, such as housing and food security.
Part of the New York State "promising practices" initiative, these grants are designed to help WMCHealth partners develop sustainable models and services as they transition from the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment, or DSRIP, program.
"DSRIP was established to help improve patient outcomes and reduce avoidable hospital use," said WMCHealth President and CEO Michael D. Israel. "As one of the leading DSRIP programs in New York, WMCHealth and its partners have made considerable progress toward that goal over the last five years, including strengthening relationships between healthcare providers and community-based organizations. Much of our continuing work is now even more critical as we strive to address issues that have been exacerbated or elevated by COVID-19's impact on the Hudson Valley."
Israel noted that, in keeping with WMCHealth's effort during the pandemic to keep all of its own workforce employed, these grants will also provide resources for community organizations to keep jobs local while at the same time helping those in the Hudson Valley who are in need of these services.
The 10 awardees of WMCHealth grants are:
Access: Supports for Living, Inc. -- $102,985
- Provide a 48-hour outpatient transition of care with an intensive 30-day peer-supported retention program.
Family Services, Inc. -- $133,000
- Reduce emergency department utilization and inpatient admissions or readmissions and connect clients to community-based organizations in order to provide social determinants of health support.
Family Services of Westchester in collaboration with The Harris Project -- $133,000
- Expansion of a regional Co-Occurring System of Care through agencies in a school district to encompass evidence-based programs designed to treat adolescents and young adults with co-occurring mental health challenges and substance misuse/addiction.
Lifting up Westchester, Inc. -- $75,000
- Supportive re-entry into permanent housing programs for the homeless population with ongoing case management to ensure retention of housing.
Mental Health America of Dutchess County, Inc. -- $125,000
- Provide Care Management to enhance the transition of support from hospital discharge to community support, thus reducing Emergency Department readmissions.
Open Door Family Medical Center, Inc. -- $75,000
- Strengthening the Safety Net around Food Insecurity by leveraging existing partnerships to create an electronically trackable, bi-directional screening and referral system focused on the social determinants of health.
People USA -- $99,212
- Provide patients being discharged from psychiatric ERs and inpatient units with intensive transitional care and wellness coaching services designed to ensure their continuity of care, prevent readmissions, and improve their health and social determinant outcomes.
Rockland Paramedic Services, Inc. -- $50,000
- Design a new community focused program "Community Paramedicine Program" to address hospital readmission within 30 days by providing goal-directed services for patients treated and discharged from the hospital.
The Guidance Center of Westchester, Inc. -- $133,000
- Develop a value-based payment demonstration project focused on a comprehensive integrated care model and a closed loop referral system, so the primary care practices affiliated with WMCHealth have direct and easy access to a full range of behavioral health, care management, and social determinants of health related services.
The Institute for Family Health -- $75,000
- Enhancing Care Management Services for High-Risk Patients through Telehealth Video Visits.
Joshua Ratner, Executive Director, Center for Regional
Healthcare Innovation and Senior Vice President for Network Strategy and
Development at WMCHealth, said that these programs help patients connect with both medical and social services in their communities in order to avoid unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Selected programs can be rapidly deployed (if not already underway), which will lead to sustainable benefits beyond the funding period and include quantitative metrics that allow the PPS, participating organizations, and other stakeholders to assess the project's level of engagement and utility.