Morehouse School of Medicine, Inc.

The Health Promotion Resource Center (HPRC) at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) proposes to implement Better Health and Fitness Together (BhFiT) in West Central and East Central Georgia. BhFiT will improve behavioral health services to vulnerable and disparate low income African-American adults and adolescents in the target area. While African-Americans comprise 46% of the target area, they only account for approximately 25% of the treatment population despite high need. In Georgia, reasons for underutilization of mental and behavioral health services, especially for African-Americans include stigma, insurance and access to care. BhFiT will strengthen the existing behavioral health infrastructure in the target area to overcome these barriers and disparities in treatment by creating integrated care teams including behavioral health, primary care and support organizations. Integrated care strategies will include care coordination, co-location, co-responding, and telehealth. The BhFiT goals are 1) Increase access to integrated and evidence-based SUD services along the spectrum of care in the target area, especially for African-American adults and adolescents. 2) Improve coordinated integrated care for behavioral health services that is EB and trauma-informed through training, coaching and mentoring target area providers. 3) Improve capacity for behavioral health system to address risk factors through prevention and harm reduction the rural target area.