Citation

Henwood BF, Siantz E, Hrouda DR, Innes-Gomberg D, Gilmer TP. Psychiatr. Serv. 2018; 69(2): 133-135.

Affiliation

Dr. Henwood is with the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Dr. Siantz and Dr. Gilmer are with the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla. Dr. Hrouda is with the Department of Psychiatry, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio. Dr. Innes-Gomberg is with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles. Benjamin G. Druss, M.D., M.P.H., and Gail Daumit, M.D., M.H.S., are editors of this column.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

10.1176/appi.ps.201700009

PMID

29241436

Abstract

Assertive community treatment (ACT) has the potential to serve as a medical home for adults with serious mental illness, a population that experiences some of the most significant health disparities in the United States. Using site visit methodology, the authors describe partnerships that were created between five ACT programs and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) to provide integrated behavioral health and primary care. The authors examined rates of screening for common chronic conditions. The programs used three distinct approaches: two programs colocated ACT teams at an FQHC, two programs employed primary care providers who split their time between the FQHC and the ACT program, and one program embedded a primary care provider within the ACT team. Effective communication between staffs may be more important than type of partnership in determining integration success.

Language: en

Keywords

Assertive community treatment; Housing First; Integrated care; Primary care