The Need
Crisis situations can lead individuals who reside in the community to seek treatment or care in a hospital or institutional setting. Unfortunately, these emergency situations can often be the impetus for long-term placement in these settings. If preventive services were expanded, crisis response improved, and 13 | Colorado HCBS Spending Plan transitions strengthened, individuals may be able to, instead, return to their homes and communities.
Initiative 2.01. - Behavioral Health Transition Support Grants to Prevent Institutionalization
Under this project, the Department will offer short-term grant funding for behavioral health crises and transition services to support higher acuity members moving from an institution, hospital, or corrections to the community, specifically focusing on increasing capacity for community-based care. The Department would create grants for local communities, including providers, non-governmental organizations, and counties, to implement programs that are specific to their behavioral health capacity needs and geographic area. Grantees may request funding for implementation projects that improve service delivery options for crisis and transition programs or create pathways that improve care transitions. The focus will be on complex populations, with a history of institutionalization, and support step-down services specifically to help move individuals from inpatient to community settings. This grant would prioritize transition services that serve those that are disabled due to a mental health diagnosis.
Lessons learned from prior Department work transitioning members from long-term care institutions with the Colorado Choice Transitions Program will inform the design of the grant program, as will extensive stakeholder engagement. Providers may request funding for program improvements, infection control, staff training, best practice implementation costs, regulatory compliance, and community integration.
Initiative 2.02. - Expand Behavioral Health Mobile Crisis Teams
The Department will supercharge activities related to the mobile behavioral health crisis teams, which offer an alternative to police or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) transport for a person in a mental health or substance use disorder crisis. Currently in Colorado there are differing practices, pilots, and approaches to behavioral health crisis calls.
The Department will provide funding in the form of grants to support this effort. Grantees could utilize funding to start a program or to come into compliance by using funds for required staff training, increasing their capacity for 24/7 response, equipment purchases, and potential technology needs. Funds would also be available to create more culturally responsive mobile crisis services in Colorado.
✅Initiative 2.03. - Institute for Mental Disease (IMD) Exclusion, Risk Mitigation Policy- Completed
Key Project Achievements and/or Activities:
Through this ARPA project, the team has set up a website specific to Institute of Mental Disease (IMD) policy work. To review many of the project outcomes and deliverables, including the Behavioral Health Campus Policy, please visit the IMD webpage.
Additionally, with support from this project, the State of Colorado has been able to pursue a multi-component amendment to its current 1115 Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Demonstration Waiver. Work from this project in support of that effort can be found on the 1115 SUD Demonstration web page.
Summary / Project Outcome:
HCPF contracted with vendor Health Management Associates (HMA) to explore and develop opportunities to mitigate risks and barriers to psychiatric inpatient level of care on campuses and facilities designated as IMDs within the state of Colorado due to federally mandated restrictions on campuses and facilities deemed IMDs.
External Facing Reports/Websites: