Federal Grant to Help Families First Expand Services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded $255,000 to Families First Health & Support Center to increase services in the areas of and medication-assisted treatment for addiction, psychiatric medication management, care coordination and oral health care, according to a press statement.

“This grant comes at a very good time, particularly since it will allow us to bring more resources to fight the heroin epidemic that is having such a devastating impact on our community,” said Families First Executive Director Helen Taft.

The grant will help Families First provide Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for its patients with opioid use disorders. Families First physician Ruth James, MD, recently became certified to provide MAT to help patients withdraw from opioids. The new federal money will pay for a substance abuse counselor to provide therapy to complement the medication.

The grant will also fund:

• A psychiatric nurse practitioner to provide medication management and consult with providers in Families First’s mobile program for the homeless; these services were recently added at Families First Health Center as well.
• A second full-time care coordinator for Families First Health Center. This person will work on reducing inappropriate use of emergency rooms by patients, participate in Community Care Teams with four hospitals, work closely with patients with chronic diseases, and do care coordination and home visits with at-risk seniors.
• More dental-hygienist time at Families First Dental Center and the mobile dental clinic at St. Vincent de Paul in Exeter.
• A mobile dental team to provide services to homeless people at the Rochester Salvation Army.

Families First Health and Support Center provides primary, prenatal and oral health care; parenting and family programs; individualized family support; and mobile health care.

Learn more at 603-422-8208 or FamiliesFirstSeacoast.org.

Caption: Ruth James, MD, a physician at Families First Health & Support Center, recently became certified to provide Medication-Assisted Treatment for patients who are addicted to opioids.