Policy Initiatives
West Texas Mental Health Collaborative (WTxMHC) Policy Initiatives
Workforce
Community Effort
- Site-based training for TTUHSC School of Medicine Psychiatry residents at Sunrise
Canyon Hospital, supported by
Covenant Health System
Opportunities
- Expand training opportunities through further investment in residency and clinical
sites to grow the mental health
workforce - Sustain behavioral health programs supported by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding
through SB 8
(87th Legislature) currently administered by the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC) - Increase local capacity for crisis stabilization by expanding funding for StarCare Specialty Health System’s Extended Observation Unit
- Expand support for local inpatient psychiatric care by increasing Sunrise Canyon Hospital’s state funded bed-day rate.
Telehealth
Community Effort
- Campus Alliance for Telehealth Resources (CATR) and Texas Child Health Access through
Telemedicine (TCHATT)
- 150+ school districts enrolled with access for over 280,000 students in the region
- 1,340+ attendees in virtual trainings hosted by TTUHSC
Opportunities
- Expand mental health care access through telemedicine utilizing current evidence-based models
- Support the funding and development of a TTUHSC Institute for Telehealth Technology and Innovation
Collaborative Care
Community Effort
- Interdisciplinary workforce development through the Children's Relational Health Center at Covenant Children's Hospital
- Expansion of mental health crisis diversion services for the Lubbock community through The HOPE Center
- Development of regional substance use disorder prevention and treatment program focusing on public health through the City of Lubbock Health Department
Opportunities
- Establishment of funding to sustain ongoing operations of The HOPE Center
- Expand support for programs to align systems and improve linage to services across the community
- Discussions between key leaders from Texas Tech University (TTU), Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) and local health care organizations resulted in the creation of a local group championing for change in Lubbock and the surrounding community, focusing on the mental health care system.
- Together, local stakeholders collaborated with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) to conduct a community-wide mental health needs assessment in Lubbock County.
In 2019, the Lubbock Area Comprehensive Mental Health Needs Assessment: Final Report and Recommendations (Meadows Report) was released and identified three overarching areas of improvement:
- System Level – Enhance coordination and continued collaboration across the community with an oversight committee consisting of high-level administrators and elected officials
- Special Populations – Improve services, support and screening for people with mental illness involved with the criminal justice system and veterans
- Children, Youth and their Families – Increase available services and support across the continuum of care from prevention through inpatient care
The West Texas Mental Health Collaborative (WTxMHC) was formed to plan and implement
strategies to increase
access to high quality and evidence based care.
The WTxMHC utilizes issue-specific workgroups to discuss and plan for strategic progress
in priority areas identified
in the Meadows Report. Workgroups include subject matter experts from many sectors
across the community.
Currently, two workgroups focus on:
- Access to crisis services
- Substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery supports