Author: Ben Aldrich

In the News: “Fentanyl Test Strips as a Form of Harm Reduction: Study Outcomes”

Congratulations to our Director of Clinical Engagement, Nadeen Makhlouf and Chief Medical Officer, Salvatore Volpe, for their feature in Behavioral Health News! “Fentanyl Test Strips in the Form of Harm Reduction: Study Outcomes” focuses on the harm reduction program, through Community Health Action of Staten Island, which issued fentanyl test strips to harm reduction clients from April 2019 through November 2019. Read more about the study findings here.

Staten Island PPS Receives Grant from Empire BlueCross BlueShield

STATEN ISLAND PPS RECEIVES GRANT FROM EMPIRE BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD FOUNDATION FOR $100,000 TO ADDRESS RACIAL HEALTH INEQUITIES

Staten Island, NY, MARCH, 2021 – Staten Island PPS received a $100,000 grant from Empire BlueCross BlueShield Foundation as part of the Healthy Generations Program. The Healthy Generations Program focuses on targeting specific, preventable health concerns—and addressing the disparities and social determinants that affect them—to create a healthier generation of Americans. Empire is committed to investing in programs that focus on preventable health conditions while addressing disparities and social determinants of health, which is at the core of the work Staten Island PPS has achieved together with our partners over the last five years.

“At Empire, we are committed to improving the lives and health of everyone in the communities we support,” said Jennifer Kuhn, Empire Medicaid Plan President. “Through this partnership, we’ll continue to provide meaningful resources dedicated to addressing racial inequalities and health disparities that adversely impact communities of color.”

The focus of the grant is highly aligned with SI PPS population health activities – to create systemic change to better address health disparities, especially in communities of color. It will support collaborative health care by incorporating mental health into primary care services, improving access to mental health services and addressing social determinant of health needs.

The $100,000 funding from this grant will be braided into additional program support to build the capacity of our 70 partner organizations to do this work. “Our greatest strength is our comprehensive partnership network” according to Dr. Joseph Conte, Executive Director of the Staten Island PPS. He added, “Together, our work allows providers and CBOs to adjust to the changing conditions stemming from COVID-19 and mitigate the pressures on our healthcare system, while still addressing the multitudes of health crises that we faced before the virus”.

Specifically, this grant will be used to help increase screening and identification of individuals, specifically for substance use disorder, and increase referrals and access to substance use disorder treatment and services, and other behavioral health resources. Staten Island PPS will also use this grant to fund and collaborate with BIPOC led organizations to understand and address racial disparities, ensuring health care providers on Staten Island are providing culturally competent care. “SI PPS is grateful for this funding from Empire”, says Ashley Restaino, Managing Director of Strategy and Operations at SI PPS. “It will help us achieve our mission of not only improving overall health for Staten Islanders but addressing racial disparities that negatively impact BIPOC communities. We are eager to understand health equity issues from the voices of community members and use our influence in the provider community to implement positive changes.”

The activities from this program will create ongoing benefits to communities of color. It will integrate behavioral health into primary care services and help make mental health routine. Our SDoH platform will provide access to additional social resources on an ongoing basis. Cultural competency training, provided under the grant, will also support and encourage a more diverse and culturally sensitive healthcare environment.

Xplorex IT: Addressing Disparities During COVID-19 By Leveraging Technology

Covid-19 has underscored in stark terms, that where we live, learn, work and worship affect how the pandemic impacts a community. Individuals in urban settings, people of color and those affected by disparities suffered far more disease prevalence and mortality than other populations. According to The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America our zip code impacts our health and future wellbeing more than our genetics. There is ample research to suggest that social determinants of health (SDOH) factors may contribute to as much as 50-60% of a person’s healthcare costs. Yet the use of technology to bridge this gap has been narrowly deployed and meeting these needs, once assessed, is often poorly executed. This brief article from Xplorex IT, written by Joseph Conte, PhD, Executive Director, Anyi Chen PhD, Chief Information Officer, Ashley Restaino, MPH, Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives & Operations, covers how technology can be leveraged to engage underserved clients to address their social needs during the pandemic.

Partner Success Stories

In reflecting back on Staten Island PPS’s achievements as this chapter of DSRIP comes to an end, the most successful initiatives that result in improved care to individuals, organizational excellence and population health improvement start more often in the lunchroom than the board room. This is dedicated to our partners who did the hard work, implemented the programs, cared for the people who needed it most, when they needed it most and get up every day and do it again. This is in recognition of their passion and singular effort. Read the full article here.

SaferLockRx Bottles and Deterra Bags

Recently, our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Volpe delivered SaferLockRx bottles and Deterra bags to several local pharmacies that have volunteered to participate in an important project to address Substance Use Disorder on Staten Island. This project was made possible by a grant from Healthfirst.
Studies have shown that over 50% of controlled medications are obtained without a prescription. This is often from friends and family. 32.5% of students surveyed in the 12th grade replied that opioids were easily accessible 2018.
SaferLockRx bottles permit safer storage of medications with a risk of addiction and overdose. We can all do our part by safely storing these types of medications and promptly disposing of medications that are no longer needed. Many pharmacies have medication disposal boxes on site and the three pharmacies participating in the project also have a limited number of Deterra bags that can be used at home to safely neutralize up to 98% medications which can then be safely disposed.

SIPPS Launches COVID-19 Bot to Identify Worsening SDOH Needs

Staten Island PPS is offering a platform for PPSs statewide to identify individuals and families in their respective service areas who wish to report any new or worsening needs during the COVID outbreak. The COVID-19 chat bot is simple, fast, and designed to identify SDOH gaps. The SI PPS network is currently using the tool with great effect and connecting individuals to community resources. The primary source of the contacts has been clients engaged via the PAM initiative, care coordination outreach, our SDOH surveys and rosters provided by our network partners who wish to engage their patients. Our partners are using these self-reported results to contact the respondents and coordinate with healthcare providers and local community-based health and social care providers. If you would like to sample the tool use the direction below:

 

How to Access the SI PPS COVID-19 Bot:
Text START to 646-971-9798 to begin

 

Should you have interest in understanding how you can deploy this tool in your region please contact JConte@statenislandpps.org or AChen@statenislandpps.org.