The New York State (NYS) Office of Mental Health (OMH) announces the availability of funds for the development of one 48 slot Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team covering Western NY; counties will be determined by the awarded agency’s RFP submission and will reflect the need of ACT services in the respective county(ies).
Donor Name: New York State Office of Mental Health
State: New York
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/18/2022
Details:
ACT is a multidisciplinary, evidence-based, team approach to providing comprehensive and flexible treatment, support, and rehabilitation services. ACT teams are configured to have a low individual-to-staff ratio (10 to 1) with professional staff including members from the fields of psychiatry, nursing, psychology, social work, substance use, employment/education, and peers. A majority of services are provided by ACT staff directly (not brokered) and in the community or where the individual lives. In this way, newly acquired skills are applied in their real-world environment and situations. ACT is designed to be flexible and responsive to the needs of individuals, offering support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ACT is “assertive” and intentional in its engagement methods, incorporating individual choice, cultural competencies, concrete services, consistency, and persistence. Finally, ACT is structured to provide a review during team meetings of every individual on the ACT team’s caseload. This level of accountability allows for immediate changes in service planning and leads to improved outcomes.
The expansion of ACT represents a commitment by the NYS OMH to develop ACT teams that are designed to better meet the needs of specific populations, e.g., providing access to an evidence-based practice for adults with SMI and high continuous needs that are not met in traditional community-based services. As this expansion moves forward, there are several principles that inform the overall process. These include:
- promoting the concepts of recovery and the power of individual choice; supporting the seamless integration of individuals into the communities in which they have chosen to live. ACT teams are expected to become experts in the natural supports available to recipients so that full community integration is possible;
- supporting individuals to develop a vocational or educational plan that will provide a path to independence;
- supporting adults who may have limited social or family support to strengthen existing family relationships, including their family of choice;
- reviewing and attempting to mitigate the effects of discrimination based on the client’s demographic identity (gender, sexual identity, race, ethnicity). Team shows sensitivity towards participants’ personal stories as they may relate to oppression and inequality.
- ensuring service access by managing ACT referrals through the Local Government Unit (LGU) Single Point of Access (SPOA) system;
- ensuring the continuous quality improvement of ACT services through regular monitoring of treatment/rehabilitation outcomes by both the ACT agency and OMH;
- facilitating continuity of care from the ACT team to the community when transitioning off of ACT; and
- utilizing data to inform continuous program improvement.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants are not-for-profit agencies with 501(c)(3) incorporation that have experience providing mental health services to persons with serious mental illness through programs that are licensed or funded by OMH.
For more information, visit NYSOMH.
