Provider and Staff Perceptions and Experiences Implementing Behavioral Health Integration in Six Low-Income Health Care Organizations

Behavioral health integration (BHI) is a proven, effective practice for addressing the joint behavioral health and medical health needs of vulnerable populations. As part of the New Orleans Charitable Health Fund (NOCHF) program, this study addressed a gap in literature to better understand factors...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of behavioral health services & research 2018, Vol.45 (1), p.143-155
Main Authors: Farb, Heather, Sacca, Katie, Variano, Margaret, Gentry, Lisa, Relle, Meagan, Bertrand, Jane
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Community and Environmental Psychology
Delivery of Health Care, Integrated - organization & administration
Health behavior
Health care access
Health Informatics
Health needs
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Health Psychology
Health services
Humans
Integrated care
Leadership
Low income groups
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mental health services
Mental Health Services - organization & administration
Mixed methods research
Perceptions
Primary care
Primary Health Care - organization & administration
Psychiatry
Public Health
Usefulness
Vulnerability
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Summary:Behavioral health integration (BHI) is a proven, effective practice for addressing the joint behavioral health and medical health needs of vulnerable populations. As part of the New Orleans Charitable Health Fund (NOCHF) program, this study addressed a gap in literature to better understand factors that impact the implementation of BHI by analyzing perceptions and practices among staff at integrating organizations. Using a mixed-method design, quantitative results from the Levels of Integration Measure (LIM), a survey tool for assessing staff perceptions of BHI in primary care settings ( n =86), were analyzed alongside qualitative results from in-depth interviews with staff ( n =27). Findings highlighted the roles of strong leadership, training, and process changes on staff collaboration, relationships, and commitment to BHI. This study demonstrates the usefulness of the LIM in conjunction with in-depth interviews as an assessment tool for understanding perceptions and organizational readiness for BHI implementation.
ISSN:1094-3412
1556-3308
DOI:10.1007/s11414-017-9559-6