Liberty Resources to use $1.5M federal grant to integrate primary-care services in its clinics

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Liberty Resources Inc. will use a federal grant of $1.5 million to integrate primary-care services into its Brownell Center outpatient mental health and Liberty Resources Family Health Care clinics.

Liberty Resources, a Syracuse–based human-services agency, is headquartered at 1045 James St. in the city, according to its website.

The Rockville, Maryland–based Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded the funding.

The SAMHSA grant will specifically support Liberty Resources Brownell Center by “fully integrating” primary-care services into programming to help adults “better engage in medical care that will lead to improvement of their physical and mental health,” Liberty Resources said in a news release issued Sept. 27.

It is projected to serve more than 1,700 adults with “serious” mental illnesses.

The clinics serve individuals in Onondaga, Madison, and Oswego counties that are “characterized with the highest incidence of co-morbidity, hospitalization and mortality due to drug use, and lowest frequency of primary-care engagement,” according to the news release.

The Brownell Center has locations at the Liberty Resources James Street headquarters, along with satellite locations in Fulton and Oneida. The Liberty Resources website also lists a behavioral-health clinic in Rochester.

The grant will increase Liberty Resources’ capacity to improve access to primary-care services; increase health prevention, early identification and intervention; and “ultimately improve the overall health of children and adults with serious mental illnesses,” the organization contends.

Kim Langbart, clinical director of Liberty Resources, will oversee the integration project as program director.

SAMHSA developed the primary and behavioral health-care integration (PBHCI) program with the goal of improving the physical health status of people with mental illnesses and addictions.

Through this program, SAMHSA provides support to communities to “coordinate and integrate” primary-care services into behavioral-health settings, Liberty Resources said.

“Liberty Resources is pleased to be the recipient of the grant award from SAMHSA to provide integrated physical health with mental health and substance use disorder treatment services to the residents of Onondaga and the surrounding counties,” Carl Coyle, CEO of Liberty Resources, said in the organization’s news release. “All too often individuals with serious mental illness ignore their whole health needs or find it difficult to receive care from conventional primary-care providers. We are excited to offer the community primary-care services integrated within Liberty Resources Brownell Center and Family Health Care clinic.”

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com