16 Jul Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc. (CMHS) Receives $81,594 Grant from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City

Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc (CMHS) recently received a grant for $81,594 from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City (now the Heath Forward Foundation) to support the addition of a Suicide Prevention Liaison and Hospital Discharge Specialist to improve the quality of services, prevent further hospitalizations, as well as inform and engage target populations of under-insured and uninsured consumers.

Funding from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City will support the initial startup costs and salaries to hire a Suicide Prevention Liaison and a Hospital Discharge Specialist. In addition, these funds will support Question Persuade Refer (QPR) suicide prevention training materials so all staff at the agency can be trained, as well as wrap around services funding to cover medications for consumers who cannot afford to cover their prescriptions.  By improving access to quality care for the residents of Eastern Jackson County, CMHS can help meet this population’s unique needs and ensure continuity of care, decrease future hospitalizations, reduce health disparities, and prevent deaths by suicide.

Comprehensive Mental Health Services (CMHS) is the community mental health center and safety net provider for Eastern Jackson County, Missouri. Our clients, as well as many other individuals and families in our service area, often face barriers due to the complexity of their clinical and practical needs. This project will increase consumer engagement with their healthcare experience by providing follow-up phone calls within 24 hours of discharge, face to face follow-up within 7 days of discharge, and directly involving clients in care planning and how they can manage increased psychiatric and/or physical symptoms. It will also seek to reduce the number of hospital re-admissions and increase the use, and ensure fidelity, of evidence-based practices required to remain a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic.

Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc. (CMHS) is a community mental health center that has provided a safety net of mental health and substance use treatment services for low income people in Eastern Jackson County and the urban core of Kansas City, Missouri for over 47 years. CMHS’s mission is, in partnership with individuals, families, and the community, to provide the highest quality behavioral health services with a whole person approach to treatment delivery that creates a safe environment of respect and acceptance.