Integrated Behavioral Health Sí Texas Projects
In 2014, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas invited the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation to co-invest in the Sí Texas: Social Innovation for a Healthy South Texas project. The project encouraged creating or expanding innovative solutions to improve integrated behavioral health (IBH) models to improve access to mental health services. The project aligned with the Foundation’s mission to improve the health and quality of life in the Rio Grande Valley.
The Foundation believes IBH is the best method to deliver mental health services to the RGV community. The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute Rio Grande Valley Behavioral Health Systems Assessment conducted in 2017 further emphasized this. Due to a shortage of mental health services in the RGV and the high levels of residents with a mental health illness, the Foundation decided to co-invest in the Sí Texas project.
Six of the original nine Sí Texas sub-grantees provide services in the Rio Grande Valley. These organizations include: El Milagro Clinic (grant converted to capacity building), the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston (Brownsville), Tropical Texas Behavioral Health, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), Nuestra Clinica del Valle, and Community Hope Projects. The Foundation’s total investment to Sí Texas is $11,341,216 over a four-year period.
The Foundation has also invested an additional $22,622,693 in these organizations, including over $21 million for UTRGV educational programs with significant mental health components. These programs include the Institute for Neurosciences ($15 million) and the PhD in Clinical Psychology ($6 million). Other organizations have also implemented projects with significant mental health components. These include Tropical Texas’ Enhanced Mental Health Officer Services ($500,000); Community Hope Projects’ Medical and Mental Health Services to RGV Uninsured Residents (over $200,000) and El Milagro Clinic’s Integrated Behavioral Health Program ($200,000). In addition, the Foundation has supported other educational and professional development opportunities for Sí Texas sub-grantee employees, such as attending conferences and seminars.
The Foundation remains committed to improving access to mental health services in the RGV and plans to continue investing in these organizations as they move forward delivering critical services to the community.
Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation is proud to partner with Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., by providing a local match to these organizations for the Sí Texas Initiative. For more information on these projects, please visit: http://www.mhm.org/sitexas.
Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute News:
The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute had its official launch in April, 2014. The Institute’s mission is to enable Texans with mental health needs to get help when and where they need it. Initial priorities will focus on children’s, veterans’, and smart justice policies and practices. For more information, go to their website: www.texasstateofmind.org
To connect with local mental health professionals:
Cameron County Mental Health Task Force meets monthly, second Tuesdays, Harlingen Outreach Center, 1102 South Commerce St. in Harlingen. Visit www.cameroncountymentalhealth.org or email cameroncountymentalhealth@yahoo.com
Mental Health Coalition of the RGV – for meeting information, contact Stephanie Contreras via email stephcontreras11@gmail.com.