Greater Houston Area Hospital-Based Intervention Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Human Trafficking Victims

The goal of the FY 2019 Direct Services to Support Victims of Human Trafficking Program is to enhance the quality and quantity of services available to victims of human trafficking, as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, as amended. Funding through this program supports specialized services to victims of sex and labor trafficking, as well as for efforts to increase the capacity of communities to respond to human trafficking through the development of interagency partnerships, professional training, and public awareness activities over a three-year project period. This award made to Catholic Health Initiatives National Foundation is funded under Purpose Area 2 to address a gap in the provision of integrated primary and behavioral health. The Greater Houston Area Hospital-Based Intervention addressing the Mental Health Needs of Human Trafficking Victims project builds on the Greater Houston Area Pathways for Advocacy-Based Trauma-Informed Healthcare Collaborative founded by St. Luke’s Health, which includes the Baylor College of Medicine and the Ben Taub Hospital, Doctors for Change, and San Jose Clinic (PATH Collaborative). The PATH Collaborative will: 1) educate healthcare providers and the wider community on victim- and person-centered identification and response, reaching 7,000 health care providers annually; 2) build enhanced and expanded capacity to deliver integrated and mental health care for trafficked patients across health systems to serve 450 newly identified victims over the 3-year funding period; 3) improve coordination and communication across health systems, law enforcement, government, community- and faith-based organizations to build patient linkages to resources in support of individualized goals for recovery; and 4) expand data gathering protocols. Efficacy will be assessed through an independent assessment led by a human trafficking research expert at the University of Houston. CA/NCF