Integral Care has been awarded $5 million ($2.5 million per year for a two-year period) to address the needs of individuals with SED, SMI, and SUD or COD and improve access to behavioral health services, Integral Care will: (1) implement a new, fully integrated telehealth solution to offer HIPAA-compliant virtual care; (2) increase intake capacity by hiring additional helpline customer care staff, as well as clinic and community-based intake staff; (3) expand outpatient and community-based service with additional clinical staff to increase level-of-care services, additional housing stability specialists to help clients secure and maintain safe, stable housing, and community health workers to focus on whole health and wellness; and (4) offer enhanced recovery support services with additional peer support specialists in our clinics, the community, and across the substance use services continuum.
Integral Care will continue to support the mental health of staff, including new CMHC staff, in active collaboration with the agency’s Human Resources and Learning and Development Teams, which offer staff a variety of health and wellness resources, including the employee assistance program, our Live Well series, and more.
Integral Care received a $10,000 grant from the Religious Coalition to Assist the Homeless (RCAH), a coalition of Austin-area faith communities that provides grant funds to social service providers to expand the capacity of local housing and shelter programs. Funding from RCAH will help Integral Care provide wraparound support services for the residents of Terrace at Oak Springs and future residents of Studios at Menchaca, two single-site, permanent supportive housing communities.
All residents have experienced chronic homelessness and live with mental illness, substance use disorder, and/or other chronic health conditions. In permanent supportive housing communities like Terrace at Oak Springs and Studios at Menchaca, offering flexible, voluntary support services can help individuals stay housed, build their self-sufficiency, and contribute to their communities. Onsite wraparound services in the residential portion of the building will include case management, peer specialist support, benefits counseling, education, and job training/supported employment.
Integral Care has been awarded $155,329 for two years from the Health and Human Services Commission to hire a Children’s Mental Health System Navigator to provide linkage, advocacy, case management/system navigation, and referral coordination to children and youth experiencing mental illness, substance use disorders, or IDD who need assistance overcoming barriers to care.
This project will support children and youth who interact with different child-serving systems and enhance services for high-risk children and youth by creating and strengthening relationships with community partners.
In March Austin Public Health (APH) awarded Integral Care $333,573 for the Ryan White HIV Services. Integral Care’s Community AIDS Resources and Education (C.A.R.E.) Program will provide case management, mental health, and outpatient substance use services at the C.A.R.E. Program office, as well as in clients’ homes, in the community, and via telephone and Microsoft Teams in order to remove barriers for clients who are unable to access services at our office location.
More specifically, mental health services provided will include both individual and group counseling services, as well as psychiatric services for persons living with HIV (PLWH). Integral Care will also provide access to medical transportation assistance for the purpose of accessing primary medical care, services provided at the C.A.R.E. Program, and other supportive services.
Clients will also be able to access case management services via C.A.R.E.’s case management walk-in hours, which are offered multiple times per week. In addition, C.A.R.E. Program case managers will be able to complete SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) applications with members of the target population in order to increase access to the disability income benefit programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) for eligible adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a mental illness, medical impairment, and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder.
For residential substance use services, we will sub-contract these services to four subgrantees, including: Recovery Unplugged, Carma Health – MD services for Recovery Unplugged, Cross Creek Hospital, and Seton Shoal Creek Hospital.
Integral Care has been awarded a grant for $124,697 from Austin Public Health (APH) to provide community-based services across the continuum of care by hiring two additional Qualified Mental Health Professionals (QMHPs). The addition of one clinic-based Intake QMHP, and one Community Health Worker QMHP will build Integral Care’s intake and re-engagement capacity. By hiring a clinic-based intake QMHP, Integral Care will build our overall intake capacity.
With the addition of an intake QMHP at Integral Care’s newest clinic, Stonegate, we will be able to decrease the workload of the existing staff, in turn reducing burnout, while increasing client satisfaction by decreasing wait times and ensuring that all individuals are seen for their intake appointment. Additionally, Integral Care will also add a Community Health Worker (CHW) QMHP who resides in the community they serve. This CHW will provide culturally appropriate health education and information to promote health equity and reach underserved communities. The CHW will play a strategic role in outreach and engagement, promoting communication and understanding between community members and providers, increasing use of health services in a community, improving adherence to health recommendations, and decreasing use of emergency services. The CHW will help families recognize early signs of mental illness and substance use disorder and encourage community members to get appropriate screenings for behavioral health conditions before they reach a crisis.
By providing this service where clients live, Integral Care can more effectively reach individuals in underserved communities, including minority and low-income populations who face numerous barriers to healthcare access, and connect them to appropriate care. These staff will provide trauma-informed screening, assessment, diagnosis, and patient-centered treatment planning and treatment delivery. Additionally, Integral Care will partner with various community agencies to provide ongoing integrated care. Currently, Integral Care has collaborations with CommUnity Care and Lonestar Circle of Care to provide integrated Primary Care within our clinic settings. Through this grant, Integral Care will identify needs through intake and community-based services and leverage existing resources and partnerships to refer individuals to the most appropriate services.
In March of this year Integral Care received a grant award totaling $778,907 for housing stability services from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). With this grant Integral Care will provide support services to approximately 30 individuals receiving Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Vouchers either through the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) or the Housing Authority of Travis County (HATC). These support services will include case management, independent living skills training, housing stability support, access to psychiatric care, and peer support services.
More specifically, these funds will expand Integral Care’s Landlord Outreach Team by adding a Landlord Outreach Specialist and Peer Support Specialist. The team works to build new relationships with landlords and maintain relationships with properties willing to house individuals with a history of homelessness and mental health needs.
With this funding, Integral Care will add one case management position and a licensed counselor to expand onsite behavioral health services at the Community First Village’s onsite clinic. This will include case management, independent skills training, counseling, and housing stability.
One staff member will support individuals experiencing homelessness in accessing services at Sunrise Community Church, a local homeless day resource center. Services will include linking individuals to housing and/or behavioral health teams, completing coordinating assessments, and assisting with other housing navigation tasks.
Individuals accessing these services will have a history of chronic homelessness and a disabling condition and will be referred through the Coordinated Entry system. Individuals may currently be housed on a PSH Voucher and in need of high intensity, in-home support to maintain their housing or newly referred to the voucher program and experiencing homelessness.
Check out this feature on Integral Care on the City of Austin’s YouTube channel.
Austin Travis County Integral Care has been awarded a grant in the amount of $5,700.00 from the Austin Community Foundation for client assistance for individuals transitioning into housing. The grant ensures our newly housed residents have items such as linens, cookware, utensils, cleaning supplies, deposits, application fees, prescription co-pays, and medical supplies/equipment. Client assistance items will be determined by each client’s unique needs. Individuals moving from the streets to a new home are more inclined to access substance use treatment and mental health care resources when their basic needs are met.
In December 2021, Integral Care received a $337,667 grant from St. David’s Foundation to provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training to Central Texans in Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, and Caldwell Counties annually for the next two years. MHFA is an evidence-based training that builds mental health literacy by teaching participants how to identify warning signs and symptoms of mental illness and apply a 5-step action plan to help individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
St. David’s Foundation has supported Integral Care’s MHFA program since 2017. In 2020, 2,059 individuals accessed MHFA training through Integral Care’s program.
Over the last several years, Integral Care has provided MHFA training to diverse audiences, including faith communities, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and departments, elected officials, and institutes of higher education. For this grant term, we plan to expand our outreach to focus on the private sector, increasing our community’s capacity to respond to a mental health crisis anywhere Central Texans live, learn, work, and play.
With a diverse corps of Mental Health First Aiders, we can reduce barriers to mental health care access throughout Central Texas. Building mental health literacy across our community – from nonprofit professionals and educators to business leaders and elected officials – helps to ensure that people living with mental illness and/or substance use disorder can get connected to the services they need.
In December 2021, Integral Care received a grant award totaling $7,000 from the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities for the Central Texas African American Family Support Conference (CTAAFSC) speaker stipends. The conference, which celebrated its 22nd anniversary in February 2022, focused on mental health and the African American community. The conference offered a series of workshops, poster presentations, panel discussions, and keynote addresses that aimed to destigmatize mental illness and eliminate health care disparities. CTAAFSC provides much-needed awareness and empowerment for a community that is disproportionately affected by mental illness.
TCDD, a longtime supporter of CTAAFSC, provided stipends for two guest speakers: Regina Louise, Author and Child Advocate and Mike Veny, Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist and Author. Louise’s presentation addressed the present state of the US foster care system, as well as likely outcomes for children and youth growing up in foster care. Her CTAAFSC keynote focused on the triumph of spirit and the importance of child advocacy.
Mike Veny’s presentation provided his audience with actionable steps they can take to change their lives and work environments. Mr. Veny’s keynote focused on transforming stigma and finding inner peace in times of uncertainty.
The Austin Chronicle published an article focused on how Austin women are dispelling stigma and moving mental health issues forward. The article features Deborah Rosales-Elkins, Peer Support Specialist, and Ellen Richards, Chief Strategy Officer, as well as key Integral Care partners from NAMI Central Texas and Travis County Sheriff’s Office. Read it out here or grab the 7/4 issue off the stands.
June 10, 2019
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month
Integral Care spoke with FOX 7 Austin about Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month and the services we provide. Integral Care offers Mental Health First Aid training for Military Members, Veterans and their Families. Find out more here.
A home means recovery from homelessness, mental illness and substance use disorder. When people have a safe place to live, appropriate support services and the tools they need to achieve well-being, recovery begins and they can reach their full potential and contribute to their community.
Watch KVUE’s story on Integral Care’s Terrace at Oak Springs.
May 22, 2019
HHSC Backs Homeless Services Initiatives
Texas Health and Human Services Commission has committed $1.9 million to support homeless services, including expanding shelter services and shelter redesign, increasing access to mental health and substance use services for families experiencing homelessness, and supporting clinic operations and the expansion of housing services at Terrace at Oak Springs. Set to open in summer 2019, this new permanent supportive housing community includes 50 fully furnished, single occupancy efficiency apartments and an onsite integrated health care clinic – 3000 Oak Springs Clinic. Features include onsite staffing 24 hours a day, onsite laundry facility, outdoor green space, community room with library, computers, and internal and external security cameras. Terrace at Oak Springs is modeled after other successful programs across the country and the first of its kind in Central Texas.
The 3000 Oak Springs location provides integrated primary health care and mental health care to residents of the apartment community. Services include counseling and case management, drug and alcohol treatment, exercise and nutrition programs, medication management and support, employment services, and assistance accessing benefits. Clinic services are also available to adults in the community who are eligible for Integral Care services. The clinic will be open 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, and will offer scheduled appointments and a limited number of walk-in appointments. Community members will be able to access clinic services through the same intake and assessment process that Integral Care uses for all of its services.
Episcopal Health Foundation has awarded Integral Care $1.5 million to expand our clinical services and implement a new financing and collaborative infrastructure. As our interdisciplinary care teams research new interventions in our clinics, we can demonstrate improved health outcomes and reduced costs of care to managed care organizations and develop a case for a value-based payment structure. Partnering with Episcopal Health Foundation will help us create the infrastructure for this new payment system while providing us flexibility to continue our clinical work by bridging funding streams.
Our new Integrated Practice Unit at Dove Springs, an expansion of services offered by Dell Medical School and Integral Care at the Bipolar Disorder Center at UT Health Austin, will serve as the pilot site for this initiative. Later this year, Integral Care will bring this collaborative approach to yet another clinic – our 3000 Oak Springs Clinic, which is part of the forthcoming Terrace at Oak Springs permanent supportive housing community.
Integral Care’s integrative, team-based approach provides a strong foundation for implementing a value-based payment structure, which relies on collaboration and coordination throughout the cycle of care. By showing the improved health outcomes and reduced care costs of this care delivery model, we can collaborate with managed care organizations to create a value-based payment system that focuses on improving quality of care, rather than increasing quantity of services.
AUSTIN, Texas — Of the more than 7,000 people who experience homelessness in Travis County each year, many have complex health problems as diverse as heart disease and asthma. To help address these persistent challenges, Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, CommUnityCare Health Centers and Integral Care, Travis County’s mental health authority, are joining forces to launch an innovative, federally-funded mobile care team that serves homeless individuals where they are.
The collaboration, which is funded by a five-year, $2.3 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will support homeless men and women who have a chronic medical condition along with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorder. The mobile, multidisciplinary team will be staffed by qualified health care providers who integrate comprehensive primary care, mental health care, substance use treatment, intensive case management, and wraparound services such as housing assistance and social programs enrollment into a continuum of care with one single team.
“Homeless Austinites living with multiple complex medical problems are among the most vulnerable and difficult to reach members of our community, but we believe that our innovative approach can work,” said Dell Med’s Tim Mercer, M.D., MPH, assistant professor in the departments of Population Health and Internal Medicine, who is the project director for this grant. Efforts to effectively treat this population require careful coordination among advocates and organizations working in Austin’s health ecosystem, he said.
“Our goal is to fill gaps in care by leveraging the existing strengths and infrastructure of the three collaborating organizations in a whole new way,” Mercer said. It’s also essential to coordinate efforts with other local organizations, such as the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO), he added.
A 2017 Point-in-Time Count performed by ECHO found that 2,036 Austin residents experience homelessness on any given night, of whom 553 are chronically homeless, 345 have a substance use disorder and 519 experience serious mental illness. It also found that 61 percent of people experiencing homelessness access health care through an emergency room or not at all.
Meeting People Where They Are
One key design feature of the mobile model is that it allows the team to bring care to patients where they live, unlike the traditional model of requiring patients to seek services in clinics or hospitals to address their health needs.
“Normally the burden is entirely on the patient — they have to make appointments, figure out how to get a ride, go to the pharmacy, get their labs processed — they are constantly forced to jump through hoops,” said Audrey Kuang, M.D., clinical director of the homeless health care program at CommUnityCare and assistant professor in the departments of Internal Medicine and Population Health at Dell Med. “It’s tough enough for the average person, but for someone struggling with mental illness or chronically sick or worrying about their next meal, those hoops can be insurmountable obstacles,” she says.
Equipped with mobile medical supplies, laptops to access medical records on site, and well-honed “street medicine” engagement tactics, the team remains unfettered by the need for a building or an exam room to care for patients.
“We can meet with clients on the street, a park bench, under a bridge — wherever we need to be to serve them best,” says Kuang.
When more complex care is needed, the mobile team can also see patients in one of CommUnityCare’s 24 clinics or Integral Care’s four integrated mental and primary care clinics in Travis County.
The community-based mobile care team will consist of at least six health professionals, including:
- A primary care physician or nurse practitioner
- A mental health care psychiatrist or nurse practitioner
- A licensed chemical dependency counselor
- A nurse case manager
- A qualified mental health professional case manager
- A peer navigator
An important part of this community-based program is that it relies on the complementary strengths of the organizations involved. Integral Care has been providing outreach and recovery services to people experiencing co-occurring homelessness, mental illness and substance use disorder for over 20 years. Integral Care also partners with the Austin Police Department and Austin-Travis County EMS to connect individuals living on the street to housing, mental and primary health care and alcohol and drug treatment as part of the Homelessness Outreach Street Team. CommUnityCare, part of Central Health’s enterprise, provides primary care and standard case management services to the homeless as well. Dell Med’s population health experts will augment these existing resources through direct care, coordination among the partners, and research and evaluation efforts.
“We are excited to expand our partnership with Dell Med and CommUnityCare to further support our city’s homeless community,” said Darilynn Cardona-Beiler, director of adult behavioral health systems at Integral Care. “This grant allows us to bring our expertise together and innovate in a unique and effective way. Together, we’re meeting people where they are in the community — providing integrated primary care, mental health care and much needed substance use treatment on the streets of Austin.”
Measuring Success
In addition to serving as orchestrator of the project, researchers from Dell Med’s Department of Population Health will work to measure the success of the effort. Its data integration division will coordinate information from Integral Care’s and CommUnityCare’s electronic health systems and directly from patients to evaluate effectiveness and identify opportunities for improving and expanding this care model.
“By incorporating research into this project, we will be able to understand if this approach to caring for our city’s homeless works and can pay for itself, by reducing hospital and ER visits, for example, and if it can be scaled and replicated to improve the health of communities across the nation,” said William Tierney, M.D., professor and chair of Dell Med’s Department of Population Health.
November 14, 2018
MCOT Named an Austin Chronicle Critics’ Pick
The Chronicle’s year-end accounting of the best in Austin has named MCOT the “Best Mobile Mental Health Heroes” in the city. MCOT can respond to a mental health crisis whenever or wherever it occurs-and provide medication services and counseling for up to 90 days, with a goal of connecting individuals with the long-term resources they need to recover.
We are grateful to the Austin Chronicle for recognizing the work of this dynamic team. Full coverage is available here.
The HOST team is a partnership between Integral Care, the Austin Police Department, Emergency Medical Services, Downtown Austin Community Court and the Downtown Austin Alliance. An approved increase of funding will cover the cost of a certified peer specialist/peer recovery coach and allow more funding to address immediate needs, like obtaining official ID documents and bus passes.
Find out more in this report from KXAN.
“Mental health services in Austin ISD is an essential part of educating the whole child,” said Tracy Spinner, district director of health services. “We are thankful for dedicated partners like Integral Care who have stepped up to continue services for our students at 16 campus mental health centers. While we are one step closer to supporting our students, the need for additional funds is still present and we are continuing to meet with potential partners to fully fund these services.”
The Austin school board Monday night approved an agreement with Integral Care to keep 16 campus mental health centers open this school year. Read more in the Statesman.
U.S. News and World Report shined a spotlight on Integral Care’s integrated care services. The article features an Integral Care client who lives with bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorders and benefits from integrated mental and physical health care as well as wellness services. Our client says, “It has really built me up to be a better woman.” The story also features our partners Dell Medical School and CommUnityCare.
The Central Texas African American Family Support Conference provides opportunities to learn about mental health, intellectual and developmental disabilities, substance use disorder, co-occurring disorders and much more. The mission of the conference is to strengthen family and individual awareness of available behavioral and physical health care services through culturally sensitive education, supports, and partnerships.
Find out more about the conference here.
Join the Facebook group -> CLICK HERE
July 30, 2019
NAMI WALKS
NAMI WALKS
Time: 9:00am
Date: September 28, 2019
Location: Long Center
July 30, 2019
Hub Learning Community 4th Annual Conference
Hub Learning Community 4th Annual Conference
Time: 8:30am – 4:15pm
Date: August 21-22, 2019
Location: Austin Marriott South Hotel
The Hub Learning Community (HLC) is a resource for professionals who support individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Our free two day 4th annual conference focuses on supporting professionals who assist people with IDD in the community. This year’s conference features breakout sessions and amazing keynote speakers including Loretta Claiborne, Jesse Saperstein, Barbara Major and Susan Robinson. Register here.
June 13, 2019
Community Forum: Fiscal Year 2020 Budget
Join us for an update on Integral Care’s strategic plan and identified priorities. David Weden, Integral Care’s Chief Financial Officer, will provide an outline of our current budget and talk about what it takes to implement our Fiscal Year 2020 budget.
Register here.
November 15, 2018
Mental Health First Aid Training Continues
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an 8-hour class that provides people the basic tools to help someone who might be developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. MHFA can save a life, just like CPR can save someone who is having a heart attack.
This training is open to the community and gives people the tools they need to help friends, family, colleagues, and community members. By the end of the session, participants will be able to identify warning signs and risk factors for mental illness; recognize signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, and substance use disorder; and implement the 5-step action plan to help someone showing signs of mental illness or experiencing a crisis.
To sign up for MHFA, please see the event listing on Eventbrite.
October 15, 2018
Reserve Your Spot at the 17th Annual Gala Today!
Tables and Sponsorships are still on sale.
Join us this year as we honor Dr. Clay Johnston and highlight the partnership between Dell Medical School and Integral Care.
Funds raised this year will go to provide the latest evidence-based best practices that are the critical tools for building recovery for persons with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities who are experiencing a mental health crisis.
New Milestones Foundation raises funds to support Integral Care in meeting the needs of adults, families, and children in our community with mental illness, substance abuse disorders and intellectual and developmental disabilities. We accomplish this by bridging the gaps between what government funds and what enhances Integral Care programs and services and between what we have today in practice and what might be promising practices for the future.
October 18, 2017
Bridging the Gap Gala
Tickets are still available for New Milestones Foundation’s Bridging the Gap Gala. This year’s gala – A Spotlight on Mental Health – will be held Thursday, November 9th at the Hyatt Regency Austin. We’re excited to announce that Sheila Hamilton, 5-time Emmy-Award winning journalist, author and mental health advocate, is the keynote speaker. Ms. Hamilton’s book All the Things We Never Knew is about loving and losing someone with mental illness. Over the course of the evening, Ms. Hamilton will share her incredibly personal story and truly put a Spotlight on Mental Health.
In its 16th year, the gala will help raise funds for Integral Care’s 24/7 Helpline. The Helpline provides a direct connection to around-the-clock mental health crisis support as well as Integral Care’s programs and services for adults and children. New Milestones Foundation is the funding arm of Integral Care and helps expand awareness in order to eradicate the stigma associated with mental health disorders. Get your tickets and tables today at newmilestones.org. It’s going to be a great night!
October 15, 2017
Mental Health First Aid Classes: Ongoing
Integral Care is now offering weekly Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) classes in Austin and Georgetown. MHFA is a one-day training that teaches people how to help someone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis or showing signs of mental illness or substance use disorder. Thanks to a grant from the St. David’s Foundation, no one will be turned away. However, a donation of $10 is welcome.
MHFA can save a life, just like CPR can save someone who can’t breathe or is having a heart attack. Register today.
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