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Priority Area: Behavioral Health  

Goal 4: People have access to behavioral health services, including treatment for substance use disorders. 

Objective 4.1 More people receive mental health or substance use treatment.

  • Outcome Indicators

     

    Outcome Indicator

    Baseline

    PHA Impact

    PHA Target

    Data Source
    4.1.1. % of teen and adult PA Medicaid recipients who receive mental health services in past year
    19 per 100 teen and adult Medicaid recipients
    (2021)
    		 10% increase
    21 per 100 teen and adult Medicaid recipients
    PA Medicaid
    4.1.2. % of teen and adult PA Medicaid recipients with a substance use disorder who participate in treatment program in past year
    6 per 100 teen and adult Medicaid recipients
    (2021)
    		 17% increase 7 per 100 teen and adult Medicaid recipients PA Medicaid

Objective 4.2 Fewer teens use alcohol and drugs.

  • Outcome Indicators

     

    Outcome Indicator

    Baseline

    PHA Impact

    PHA Target

    Data Source

    4.2.1.

    		 % of teens reporting alcohol use in past month
    30% of teens
    (2018)
    		 10% reduction 27% of teens YRBS

    4.2.2.

    		 % of teens reporting cannabis use in past month
    32% of teens
    (2018)
    		 10% reduction 29% of teens YRBS

Objective 4.3 Fewer adults use alcohol and drugs in ways that are hazardous to themselves or others.

Objective 4.4 Fewer people die from an overdose.

  • Outcome Indicators

     

    Outcome Indicator

    Baseline

    PHA Impact

    PHA Target

    Data Source
    4.4.1. Overdose mortality rate
    58.8 deaths per 100,000 persons
    (2021)
    		 10% decrease 53 deaths per 100,000 persons ACOME, PA Death Certificates

Objective 4.5 Fewer people die from suicide.

  • Outcome Indicator

     

    Outcome Indicator

    Baseline

    PHA Impact

    PHA Target

    Data Source
    4.5.1. Suicide mortality rate
    14.5 deaths per 100,000 persons
    (2019)
    		 10% decrease 13 deaths per 100,000 persons PA Death Certificates

Objective 4.6 The racial disparity in deaths from overdoses decreases.

  • Outcome Indicator

     

    Outcome Indicator

    Baseline

    PHA Impact

    PHA Target

    Data Source
    4.6.1. Overdose mortality rate for Black residents
    115.3 deaths per 100,000 Black residents
    (2021)
    		 13% decrease 100 deaths per 100,000 Black residents ACOME

Strategies

  • Support the Department of Human Services, and others, in efforts to expand access to behavioral health services, including the creation of additional crisis support services and mobile units.

  • Promote access to mental health and substance use treatment through low-barrier, technology-supported strategies.

  • Increase the number of certified recovery specialists, peer support specialists and community health workers who help facilitate access to behavioral health and substance use services.

  • Increase access to medication for opioid use disorder by:

    • Working with community providers to conduct outreach and training to health care providers to normalize medication for opioid use disorder prescribing in primary care settings.
    • Supporting overdose education and reducing stigma through direct education and ad campaigns, including referral to recovery counseling services.
    • Increasing accuracy of active practitioner lists through provider outreach.

  • Incorporating people with lived experience into all areas of the work.

  • Revise Allegheny County Health Department Article II: Syringe Services to make it easier for programs and municipalities to support sterile syringe programs.

  • Conduct workshops on the safe administration of Narcan.

  • Support and expand efforts to promote social connectedness for seniors.

  • Increase educational and communication efforts to destigmatize behavioral health needs.

Goal 5: People in Allegheny County will participate in programs and activities that support mental health and well-being.

Objective 5.1 More families with infants/toddlers participate in programs with demonstrated effectiveness to improve outcomes.

  • Outcome Indicators

     

    Outcome Indicator

    Baseline

    PHA Impact

    PHA Target

    Data Source
    5.1.1. Number of children served by evidence-based home visiting models
    6,600 children
    (2019)
    		 11% increase 7,300 children ACDHS, ACHD
    5.1.2. Number of Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership slots
    388 slots
    (2022)
    		 29% increase >500 slots Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center (COTRAIC)

Objective 5.2 More children, from birth to five years old, attend high-quality early learning programs.

  • Outcome Indicators

    * state-funded subsidized childcare (Child Care Works) or Allegheny County's Child Care Matters Pilot program

     

    Outcome Indicator

    Baseline

    PHA Impact

    PHA Target

    Data Source
    5.2.1. % of children ≤5 years old enrolled in high-quality childcare programming who previously used publicly funded childcare programs*
    33% of children enrolled
    (2022)
    		 30% increase 43% of children enrolled PA OCDEL
    5.2.2. % of children ages 5-12 enrolled in high-quality childcare programs who previously used public funded childcare programs*
    24% of children enrolled
    (2022)
    		 67% increase 40% of children enrolled PA OCDEL
     

Objective 5.3 More children and teens have access at their schools to a social and emotional health curriculum or services.

  • Outcome Indicators

     

    Outcome Indicator

    Baseline

    PHA Impact

    PHA Target

    Data Source
    5.3.1. Develop and deploy a standard for determining the # of schools/early learning providers that offer social and emotional health curricula/services N/A New data standard N/A N/A
    5.3.2. % of teens with depressive symptoms that interfered with activities in past year
    39% of teens
    (2018)
    		 26% decrease 29% of teens YRBS

Objective 5.4 More adults have better mental health.

  • Outcome Indicator

     

    Outcome Indicator

    Baseline

    PHA Impact

    PHA Target

    Data Source
    5.4.1. % of adults with 14+ not good mental health days in last month
    13% of adults
    (2021)
    		 15% decrease 11% of adults BRFSS

Strategies

  • Support the Department of Children Initiatives to increase the number of children served in quality child care, preschool and after-school programming.

  • Support the Department of Human Services in efforts to expand access to behavioral health services, including services for children in schools and the community.

  • Support the work of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit to provide evidence-based social and emotional programming in schools and the community.

  • Increase participation in Allegheny County’s Hello Baby program and other programs that support the creation of healthy and safe family environments.

  • Increase the availability of community-led, informal supports that individuals or families can use for mental health and well-being and smooth pathways to more formal services.

  • Continue to promote Stand Together, an anti-stigma campaign in Allegheny County schools.

  • Increase the pipeline of behavioral health professionals trained to work in early learning and school settings.

Abbreviations

  • YRBS: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
  • BRFSS: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • ACOME: Allegheny County Office of Medical Examiner
  • ACDHS: Allegheny County Department of Human Services
  • PA OCDEL: Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning