New Haven committee advances SAMHSA grant application to expand early psychosis services for youth

The Health and Human Services Committee of the Board of Governors on Jan. 23 moved to forward an item authorizing the city to apply for and accept funding from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Children’s Mental Health Initiative to build a system of care for young people at clinical high risk for psychosis.

Committee chair Eli Sabin introduced the item and presenters from the city and the PRIME Clinic at Yale described a plan to use grant funds to expand screening, clinician training and community outreach so that youth can be identified and treated in local clinics rather than traveling to a specialty center.

“We are here tonight to seek approval to apply for grant funding,” Le'Ron Mitchell, coordinator for mental health initiatives for the city of New Haven, told the committee. Mitchell said the application would be submitted by the City of New Haven because SAMHSA limits eligibility to government entities.

Emily Farina, a clinical psychologist at the PRIME Clinic at Yale School of Medicine, said the PRIME Clinic would help lead clinical components of the project, including training, consultation and evidence-informed treatments.…