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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 20
International Journal of Emergency Mental
Health and Human Resilience
ISSN: 1522-4821
Mental Health 2018
April 26-27, 2018
April 26-27, 2018 | Rome, Italy
4
th
International Conference on
Mental Health and Human Resilience
Integration of behavioral and mental health care into primary care clinics: a program evaluation
Paulette Sides Sasser
Duquesne University School of Nursing, USA
F
ragmentation of physical, mental, and chemical dependency care delivery systems has led to significant gaps in care for
individuals with severe mental illness and substance use disorders. A shifting international focus to chronic illness and
the default provision of mental health care demands new approaches. In the US, the rise in numbers of those identified with
mental health conditions has risen, while the resources to care for those patients have declined, creating a gap in service to a
vulnerable population. This DNP project is a program evaluation of an integrated behavioral health and mental health program
provided by a patient centered medical home primary care clinic. This DNP Project’s purpose was to evaluate the impact of
the implementation of integrated behavioral and mental health services within a primary care clinic on patient’s adherence
to the treatment plan, staff and patient experiences and cost of care for patients with severe mental illness. Qualitative and
quantitative data was collected 12 months prior to and after the program change which included the addition of a licensed
mental health expert and workflow adjustments. Upon completion of data collection and analysis, results showed that the
integration of mental health into primary care has had a positive impact on patient adherence to treatment, patient satisfaction
and staff satisfaction.
Biography
Paulette Sides Sasser has completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice with a focus on the integration of mental health into primary care systems. This project
level program evaluation includes three components: Context Evaluation; Implementation Evaluation and Outcome Evaluation. Post doctorate work includes the
implementation of the recommended quality assurance program and associated pilot studies, development of new staff education instruments and recommendations
for innovative staff roles to address the most commonly cited barrier to full integration identified by extensive literature search of international publications. This
will be the first implementation of a complete integration program in New Mexico, USA. Additional expertise relevant to this submission includes management of
community mental health clinics and psychiatric emergency services, and provision of clinical specialist services at University of New Mexico Hospitals.
sidessasserp@duq.eduPaulette Sides Sasser, Int J Emerg Ment Health 2018, Volume 20
DOI: 10.4172/1522-4821-C1-012