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Health Center Essentials

PThD3 - Enhancing Access and Quality of Care in Behavioral Health Services for Health Center Patients

Thursday, February 6, 2025
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Location: Salons 12/13 (M2)
Knowledge Level: Basic
CPE: 1.2
CME: 1.0
CE: 1.0
CEU: 1.0
Session Description: 1 in 5 people in the United States have a mental health condition, yet less than half get needed treatment. In 2022, health centers met only 27 percent of the estimated need for mental health services and just 6 percent of the need for substance use disorder (SUD) services. Despite mental health issues being among the top six diagnoses in health centers, fewer than 9 percent of patients accessed necessary mental health services. Similarly, though a significant portion of patients could benefit from SUD services, fewer than 1 percent received them. These gaps in service contribute to severe financial and physical hardships, including exacerbated chronic conditions, increased emergency room visits, and higher rates of premature death. This session will highlight examples of strategies to bridge gaps in care, transform care delivery, and address the complex intersection of behavioral health, physical health, and contextual factors in the community health setting.  Join us as we highlight the impactful efforts of Cherokee Health Systems, NeighborHealth, and Merakey to explore opportunities to improve access to behavioral health care among health center patients.

Learning Objectives:

  • Upon completion, participants will be able to understand strategies for enhancing health centers' awareness and integration of behavioral health across all aspects of clinical practice and infrastructure.
  • Upon completion, participants will be able to discuss and describe examples of peer-driven solutions to behavioral health access challenges, based on experiences from health centers.
  • Upon completion, participants will demonstrate an enhanced understanding of strategies to create a safe, open environment that empowers health centers to optimize and expand their behavioral health services.