Contact: Caroline Cornish | caroline.cornish@mainehealth.org
Portland, Maine – The MaineHealth Preble Street Learning Collaborative (MHPSLC) has been awarded a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The grant will allow MHPSLC to expand its Community Outreach Network Navigation Evidence-based Care and Treatment (CONNECT) mobile health and harm reduction program, that provides essential, on-the-ground support to those experiencing homelessness and untreated mental health or substance use disorders.
CONNECT delivers services through mobile outreach, lowering barriers to care by tailoring support to each patient’s care needs. The SAMHSA funding will expand the program with four new positions focused on program coordination, medical outreach case management, Rapid Re-Housing through Preble Street and peer support through Spurwink, as well as extend support for the CONNECT clinical director and operational expenses, including harm reduction supplies. Funds will also be used to develop a community referral portal to facilitate communication between community-based organizations and the CONNECT outreach van.
“We’re excited to expand our team and more comprehensively meet the needs of patients experiencing homelessness,” said Malia Haddock, a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and the clinical director for MHPSLC’s CONNECT program. “This is a significant step forward in our goal to increase access to low-barrier, trauma-informed psychiatry and addiction care in our community."
The MHPSLC program is a collaborative effort between MaineHealth and Preble Street, dedicated to education, outreach and direct care services to address the healthcare needs of people experiencing homelessness. The program offers walk-in medical care, treatment for opioid use disorder and case management in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood. It also services as a training hub for medical students, residents and fellows from MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland.
The CONNECT Outreach Van began operating in July, funded by a $500,000, two-year grant from the City of Portland through the American Rescue Plan Act. Data collected through the Mobile Health Map at Harvard Medical School suggests that mobile clinics across the country reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and save communities an average of $20 for every dollar invested. “Thanks to the City of Portland’s initial funding, our mobile health unit is already delivering essential care to those who need it most,” said Britt Crewse, President of MaineHealth’s Southern Region. “We’re excited to build on this program and further our commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate clinical care and support toward our vision of working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.”
The project described was supported by Grant Number 1H79SM088441-01 from The Department of health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the SAMHSA.
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About MaineHealth
MaineHealth is a not-for-profit, integrated health system whose vision is, “Working together so our communities are the healthiest in America,” and is committed to a mission of providing high-quality affordable care, educating tomorrow's caregivers and researching better ways to provide care. MaineHealth includes a Level 1 trauma medical center, eight additional licensed hospitals, comprehensive pediatric care services, an extensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services as well as home health, hospice and senior care services. With more than 2,000 employed providers and approximately 23,000 care team members, MaineHealth provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. MaineHealth hospitals include MaineHealth Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor in Westbrook, MaineHealth Franklin Hospital in Farmington, MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, MaineHealth Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport, MaineHealth Stephens Hospital in Norway and MaineHealth Waldo Hospital in Belfast. MaineHealth also includes the MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland, MaineHealth Care at Home in Saco, the MaineHealth Institute for Research in Scarborough, the MaineHealth Medical Group and MaineHealth NorDx in Scarborough. MaineHealth affiliates include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville and St. Mary's Heal System in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization in Portland and a joint venture partner in the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland.