Better Health Together Awarded $50,000 Grant for Trauma Informed Approach

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BHT recently was named the recipient of a $50,000 grant for implementing a Trauma Informed Approach into our Learning Cohort Training series. Currently, the main focus of our work is implementing whole-person care for the Medicaid population and is applicable to all demographics – cultural, ethnic, racial, age, income, disability, and more. The organizations we support provide services to these varying demographics and encompass frontier, rural, and urban populations.  BHT also partners with the three federally recognized Tribes in our region as well as our two urban American Indian community centers, The NATIVE Project and the American Indian Community Center. 

In May, we will begin implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach into our foundational exercises. With TIA being such a critical component to equity efforts and work, the help of this grant will help us to be able to reach more organizations and be more thorough in our TIA.

Our efforts to implement a Trauma-Informed Approach in our region will be four-fold:

  1. Broad stakeholder feedback through our existing counsels and partners to develop a specific TIA workplan

  2. Engage local and other subject matter experts to provide training and technical assistance through a variety of platforms

  3. Elicit continued feedback and scores to inform ongoing work

  4. Plan for further, ongoing support our providers beyond the grant period

BHT has been partnering with the UW AIMS Center, EWU Public Health program, Health Management Associates, OHSU faculty, and are lucky to have local experts to draw upon for our training needs.  This funding would also allow us to hold trainings at more convenient hours for our primary care partners.

We are currently engaged with over 100 organizations in our six-county region, including 35 behavioral health providers. These organizations are all engaged in our regional emphasis on equity work and we plan to continue to support them with a Trauma-Informed Approach being a critical component to this work. Our goal is to increase collective impact while making a difference on the wellness of our community. Helping partners across our region be Trauma-Informed in their work will further assure better whole person care for Medicaid clients who seek services from our organizations.