MTOP AND THE NFUSION MODEL
In 2009, The Mississippi Department of Mental Health, Division of Children and Youth Services received its 3rd System of Care grant, Mississippi Transitional Outreach Project (MTOP) through funding from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The projects goals include:
- Expand community capacity to serve transitional age youth;
- Provide a broad array of accessible and coordinated services/supports;
- Ensure individualized, managed care;
- Plan, deliver, and evaluate these services with the full participation of families and youth in a culturally and linguistically sensitive manner; and
- Facilitate broad-based, sustainable systemic support for the target population.
MTOP contracts the service delivery component of the Cooperative Agreement to Community Mental Health Centers. These providers implement local service delivery and referrals at sites called NFusion - “fusing the system of care principles into the community.” The NFusion concept is an innovative approach creating a single point of entry for services and referrals for individuals between the ages of 14 – 21 with a current diagnosis of a Serious Emotional Disturbance, in need of services or received services from 2 or more child serving agencies and resides in local Community Mental Health Center’s catchment area.
Many of NFusion’s successful outcomes are due to services being provided to the youth and their families in the most stigma free environment, genuine respect of everyone entering the NFusion doors and partnerships with families and community members. Services at the NFusion sites include traditional mental health services in addition to a variety of supports including assistance with living skills, educational support, cultural enrichment, employment skills and support groups for family members.
There are 3 NFusion sites (located in the cities of Corinth, Louisville and Meridian) funded through MTOP. In 2013, Mississippi in collaboration with Weems Community Mental Health Center received a SOC Expansion grant to expand the NFusion model to additional counties within Weems’ catchment area. There are 2 current XPand NFusion sites (located in the cities of Newton and Philadelphia). To date, there have been over 700 youth and young adults who have received services and/or supports through the NFusion sites.
Many of NFusion’s successful outcomes are due to services being provided to the youth and their families in the most stigma free environment, genuine respect of everyone entering the NFusion doors and partnerships with families and community members. Services at the NFusion sites include traditional mental health services in addition to a variety of supports including assistance with living skills, educational support, cultural enrichment, employment skills and support groups for family members.
There are 3 NFusion sites (located in the cities of Corinth, Louisville and Meridian) funded through MTOP. In 2013, Mississippi in collaboration with Weems Community Mental Health Center received a SOC Expansion grant to expand the NFusion model to additional counties within Weems’ catchment area. There are 2 current XPand NFusion sites (located in the cities of Newton and Philadelphia). To date, there have been over 700 youth and young adults who have received services and/or supports through the NFusion sites.