Expansion of Clinical Services

Health care access

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

A recurring issue is that many clients with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) have underlying emotional disturbances from childhood trauma, abuse, or neglect, necessitating therapy. We envision a "Clinical Program" that complements our SUD treatment, offering accessible therapy services to clients in need. Currently, we must outsource these services. Hiring a full-time therapist (LMFT or LCSW) would ensure all clients have easy access to therapy, promoting holistic recovery. We've identified a pressing need for timely access to psychiatric services due to limitations in the Medi-Cal system. Many of our clients at Beacon House have co-occurring mental health diagnoses and rely on psychiatric medication. Currently, we outsource psychiatric services to local clinics or DMH clinics like San Pedro Mental Health. However, the Medi-Cal system faces a shortage of psychiatrists, resulting in clients enduring extensive wait times for appointments and medication refills.

The project aims to expand the Clinical Department of The Beacon House Association of San Pedro's Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Program. Funds will cover two activities: hiring a licensed clinician (e.g., LCSW or LMFT) for psychotherapy services and contracting with a psychiatrist for psych evaluations and timely psychiatric medications.
The Beacon House offers SUD care, including ASAM 3.1, 2.1, 1.0 levels, Recovery Bridge Housing, and Sober Living. ASAM 3.1 mandates a Medical Director and Licensed Clinician for SUD diagnoses and treatment plans. Due to budget constraints, we've relied on Registered and Certified SUD counselors.
Many clients with SUDs have underlying emotional disturbances from trauma, necessitating therapy. A "Clinical Program" will complement our SUD treatment, offering accessible therapy services. Hiring a full-time therapist ensures clients have access to therapy, promoting holistic recovery.
There is a pressing need for timely psychiatric services due to Medi-Cal system limitations. Many clients have co-occurring mental health diagnoses and rely on psychiatric medication. We outsource psychiatric services, but Medi-Cal faces a shortage of psychiatrists, resulting in long wait times.
To address this, we aim to contract with a psychiatrist, providing 4-10 hours of availability per week. This grants clients prompt access to psychiatric services, medication monitoring, and psych evaluations.

The benefits to expanding the Clinical Department of The Beacon House Association of San Pedro extend beyond individual care to the broader community and healthcare system. Reducing the demand on overburdened local clinics and DMH facilities will shorten wait times and improve access to care for others. Effective SUD treatment will lead to lower rates of emergency services and hospitalizations, resulting in cost savings. Furthermore, the expansion will create local employment opportunities and help reduce recidivism by providing effective treatment and support for vulnerable populations. This initiative will enhance public safety, reduce homelessness, and promote a healthier, more stable community in Los Angeles County.

This program is a capacity building effort that involves (1) the addition of personnel and competencies not currently present within the agency's workforce and (2) the implementation of new services (i.e. therapeutic services & psychiatric services) into the agency's programming. As such, the measurable objectives that have been established are to onboard the desired personnel, design new workflows and procedures, launch the new services, and carefully evaluate the program's success and long-term sustainability. The key activities required for the agency to accomplish these measurable objectives include recruitment, hiring, onboarding, program & service design, implementation of new services, and subsequent evaluation of program performance. Finally, we have developed evaluation indicators that focus on the efficacy of the newly implemented program: access to services, service utilization, clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, etc.