The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services plans to support the expansion of behavioral health services in Haines.
In late February, the department began soliciting proposals from behavioral health providers to provide support in Haines from July through May 2022. The application period closed March 31.
“The purpose of this program is to provide relief for the Haines community by supporting its behavioral health service capacity which has been severely impacted by the dual crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent landslides,” the solicitation reads.
The department plans to use up to $200,000 from a recent federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration award for “Emergency Funds to Address Mental and Substance Use Disorders During COVID-19” to provide services to Haines residents, especially children and adolescents, “who are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, and/or substance misuse as a result of the pandemic.”
According to the department, the funds are not intended to replace the $1.4 million the state initially said it would channel into Haines, via Juneau’s Bartlett Regional Hospital, to expand behavioral health services and support residents displaced by the Dec. 2 landslide.
The $1.4 million was awarded to Bartlett for distribution in December and subsequently returned to the state due to unforeseen logistical complications. At the time the funds were returned, the state said it would give the $1.4 million directly to Haines, but so far, this hasn’t happened. Haines Borough officials have been working with legislative representatives to try to secure the funding.
Haines Borough interim manager Alekka Fullerton said the state hasn’t communicated with the borough about the $200,000.
The agency’s grants and contracts management division said it couldn’t provide additional information until the contract has been awarded. With the application deadline passed, the department will begin evaluating proposals and will notify applicants of their status via email.
Solicitation information, including the number of applicants, will become public at this point, which will likely be sometime in the next few weeks.