Missouri Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration Initiative: What Is It about?

Objective: To support collaboration between Community Health Centers (CHC) and Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) to integrate primary and behavioral health care in the public health safety net system in order to improve access to:

• Primary care for consumers with mental illness to reverse disparities in life expectancy
• Behavioral health services for patients with previously unrecognized and/or untreated mental health problems, and
• Behavioral health supports for patients who require assistance in effectively managing their chronic disease or improving health status

Methods:

• Collaboration and integration between safety net systems of care
• Co-location and integration of primary care and behavioral health services
• Improving clinical care by addressing the physical and behavioral health needs patients/consumers.
• Provider/staff training and technical assistance to increase the comfort and competency of the mental health professionals/staff in dealing with primary care needs and the primary care professionals/staff in dealing with mental health needs

Results:

• Evaluation is being conducted by University of Missouri Columbia Sinclair School of Nursing
• Objectives are to determine the degree to which partnerships have: —  Successfully integrated primary care and behavioral health care —  Integration success factors —  Improved Access and outcomes —  Assess consumer and staff perceptions —  Sustainability

Conclusion: Individuals with serious mental illness served by the public mental health system die on average, 25 years earlier than the general population from chronic diseases including diabetes.  Missouri’s Integration Initiative through expanded access to services, training, and coordination of care strives to reverse this disparity in life expectancy.