It’s hard to believe that we just finished the 4th year of our SAMHSA grant. So many great things have happened in our county over the last 4 years due to the collaborative work that we do with our wonderful partners. It’s hard to remember a time when Clermont County didn’t offer wraparound to families and youth, or TIP, or mobile crisis. Family-driven and youth-guided care has really become the “way to do business” in Clermont County.
As you may be aware, as we move through our 6 year grant period, federal grant funds gradually increase and then decrease. In Year 5, we have a decrease in grant funds and need an increase in support from our local partners, both in match and inkind funding to sustain programs. I’m happy to say that although federal funds are decreasing, we are able to maintain the same level of services that FAST TRAC has worked to implement or expand due to our partners stepping up to take over funding of some of the programs.
The Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board will maintain the increased level of School-based Mental Health services that were possible due to grant funds and also maintain the level of support from the mobile crisis team, using local levy funds.
Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities has stepped up and “taken over” the FAST TRAC respite program. The respite program is now a part of the Gift of Time respite cooperative and families will still have access to respite as a part of their wraparound plan.
TIP has continued to expand and taken additional youth into their program, with no additional funding. TIP has been very effective in billing Medicaid for eligible services for eligible youth and this has allowed them to increase the number of youth served.
Many of our partners give a local contribution to Family & Children First to support the use of Pooled Funds for youth/families in wraparound and TIP. The support of Job & Family Services/Children’s Protective Services, Juvenile Court, Mental Health & Recovery Board, Board of County Commissioners, Board of Developmental Disabilities, General Health District and the Clermont Recovery Center are all essential to providing the “out of the box” support to families which helps them to be successful.
While we have had great success in our endeavors, the work is just beginning as the grant funding continues to decrease over the course of the next two years and then is gone. We will continue to be creative in our work to sustain the programs that we began or expanded and plan so that we can maintain the same high level of supports/services in the future.
