Primary care and public health integration: Innovative strategies from a state-level review
In a recent Journal of Public Health Management & Practice report, Strengthening Public Health Through Primary Care and Public Health Collaboration: Innovative State Approaches, CHRT’s Nancy M. Baum and Samantha Iovan, along with Marianne Udow-Phillips, explore the dynamic initiatives undertaken by four states to forge stronger connections between public health and primary care. Seventeen state leaders from North Carolina, Oregon, …
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Bridge the gaps: Strengthening public health through primary care collaboration and funding innovation
In a January 2024 Milbank Quarterly opinion piece, Connecting Public Health and Primary Care: The Prevention and Public Health Fund Redux, authors Marianne Udow-Phillips, Samantha Iovan and Peter D. Jacobson take a look at the critical role of primary care in bridging the gap between public health and medical care, as emphasized by longstanding funding disparities which were particularly evident …
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CHRT staff in Health Affairs on strengthening public health through collaboration with primary care
In a recent Health Affairs Forefront piece, Strengthening public health through collaboration with primary care: lessons from the states, CHRT’s Nancy Baum and Samantha Iovan share key findings from research across four states: North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. These four states were selected based on the authors’ previous research, which identified these states as innovators in their work …
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Strengthening public health through integration with primary care
State and local leaders across the country are taking innovative steps to strengthen public health through integration with primary care. Public health agencies at the state and local levels have long faced challenges such as chronic underfunding, rigid funding streams, outdated and disconnected data systems, fragmented care delivery structures, and workforce shortages. Partnerships between medical care systems, community-based organizations, and …
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Supporting behavioral health providers in public health emergencies
Support for behavioral health care providers is crucial, especially considering the significant stress and burnout they have experienced prior to and during the pandemic. To understand how to better support behavioral health care providers during public health emergencies, this study explores three topics. Burnout While the literature is limited, studies suggests that burnout can affect physical and mental health for many …
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The value of community health workers in extending the behavioral health workforce
Prior studies suggest that Community Health Workers (CHWs) add significant value in healthcare settings. CHWs can improve physical health outcomes and lower health care costs for their patients, but there is limited research on the roles CHWs fill in behavioral health care. Trusted frontline health workers, CHWs often live in or come from the communities they serve. Importantly, they support hard-to-engage …
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Telehealth for people with disabilities: here are the challenges and opportunities policymakers should consider
Telehealth was a lifeline for people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal and state policy changes allowed clinics, health systems, and providers to expand telehealth services, which benefitted people with disabilities. People with disabilities, approximately one in every four Americans, are six times more likely to have ten or more physician visits and five times more likely to be admitted …
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Children benefit from the integration of behavioral health consultants at pediatric clinics, but can practices bear the cost?
While a growing body of evidence demonstrates the health benefits of embedding behavioral health care consultants into medical practices, many providers–including pediatric practitioners–are rightfully cautious about embarking on integration initiatives. Integration is a complex process–one that requires a significant commitment of time and resources–and not all integration initiatives are economically sustainable. Here, we provide a simple tool for determining whether …
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EVOLVE, CHRT’s integration framework, featured in American Public Human Services Association journal
Across the United States and around the world, many organizations are attempting to integrate their once siloed health and human services and systems, due to the multiple benefits integration provides. However, many integration efforts have stalled, and some have failed–because the work is challenging and some partners do not fully reflect on the aspects and processes essential to successful integration. …
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Designing integrated behavioral health services for Medicaid enrollees, background and case studies
A growing number of states are implementing new strategies to better integrate health services and provide holistic care–particularly for Medicaid beneficiaries–with the ultimate goals of improving care coordination and patient outcomes and, in some cases, lowering health care expenses as well. For decades, physical and behavioral health care–including both mental health and substance use disorder treatment–have operated in silos. Too …
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