OSPREY Health Care, Inc., a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) Independent Provider Association (IPA) proposes to provide Internet connection and access for the member agencies of OSPREY of the Palm Beaches (OPB). OPB is comprised of four mental health and substance abuse agencies with more than twenty service sites located in Palm Beach County, Florida, a county of more than one million residents. The goals of this project are: 1. To provide OPB's mental health professionals with access to Internet-based information, research, and medical resources that will improve their skills and increase their knowledge; 2. To establish e-mail capability among the twenty OPB member sites, and between member sites and other mental health facilities, in order to facilitate increased communication among colleagues and to provide secure remote access to clinical applications and information; 3. To improve client care by training mental health professionals to properly utilize the relevant research and communications capabilities of the Internet and Virtual Private Network (VPN), and by providing immediate access to pertinent clinical information, thus ensuring accurate, timely care. To accomplish these goals, OSPREY proposes to purchase and install Internet gateway equipment for its twenty OPB member sites and to provide the training classes, technical support, and maintenance necessary for the implementation and success of the project. All four member agencies are committed to the future of this Internet connection initiative, and have agreed to provide the funds necessary to maintain the connection after the initial grant period.
