Outreach ProjectEast Texas Border Health Clinic

ETBHC – Outreach Project

Project designed to increase access to mental health services in rural East Texas.

What ETBHC learned Where we are going

Collaboration – Key to Sustainability

Our definition was to develop a team that included non-profit and for profit members to advance a common goal.

We wanted members who would:1.Share knowledge and learning2.Were creative and thought “outside of

the box”3.Committed to the common good of the

community

Collaborative Culture

Starting with the Board, ETBHC developed a collaborative culture at all levels of the organization.

Selection of Board members based on community involvement

Employee job descriptions require community involvement Speakers Disseminating information

Collaborative Culture

All staff members job descriptions include requirements to collaborate with the community: Speakers Participate in health fairs Serve on other community coalitions &

organizations Serve on other boards Serving on emergency response teams

Develop Win-Win Situations

Our community agreements included: Placing signs/info of available services

in visible locations Agreeing to provide speakers, when

appropriate Agreeing to provide space Agreeing to accept/refer to agency,

when appropriate

First Team

First team included: East Texas Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Community Healthcore (mental health provider) United Churches Care (faith community) East Texas Border Health ClinicAll were chosen because they were committed to

enhancing access to mental health/substance abuse services in the community and ETBHC had worked with agencies since 2004.

Teamworks Today

Collaboration named: Just for the Health of It / Teamworks

Members include:County Extension County Emergency PreparednessHome Health Agencies Early Childhood DevelopmentArea on Agency Representative of State SenatorMental Health Provider School NurseSubstance Abuse Provider Department of State

Health ServicesCounty Indigent ProviderInsurance Agent

3 Year Goals

Enhance care to 3000 low income individuals with chronic physical/mental illness

Provide prevention education to 1500 patients

Establish 4 Outreach Clinic sites Hold 200 clinic/consortium days Expand availability of rural health care by

1% Provide healthcare/education to 20 new

patients weekly/1000 new annually.

Meeting our goals

Held regular outreach clinics Maintained proper supplies Provided basic primary/preventive care Referrals to consortium members for

mental health/substance abuse Maintained continuous communication

with all consortium members Gathered necessary data to measure

outcomes

Outreach Clinics

Consumers Educated

Access to Care

Increase to Mental Health

Sustainability

Continue monthly consortium meetings Wrote other grants Out Stationed Medicaid Eligibility

Worker

What we learned

Be flexible Always include your partners Do not promise something you cannot

do Deliver high quality care Be consistent

Pitfalls

ETBHC grant was initially written for a mid-level provider to do the outreach. What we discovered:

1. Mid-levels are not that available in East Texas2. Mid-levels, when available, do not want to do

outreach as we defined outreach3. If primary health care was provided through

outreach, ETBHC would need a home health license.

Pitfalls

Workforce was not available Case management and outreach

services are not for everyone

Contact Info

Wanda M. Kennel, PhDChief Executive OfficerEast Texas Border Health ClinicP O Box 1326Marshall, TX 75671-1326Phone: (903) 927-3782Fax: (903) 927-1764Wanda.kennel@etborderhealth.org