Presenters
- Jonathan Muther, PhD, VP of Medical – Behavioral Health Integration, Salud Family Health Centers, Commerce City, CO
- Laura Baxter, LSW, Behavioral Health Provider, Salud Family Health Centers, Commerce City, CO
- Yajaira Johnson-Esparza, PhD, Director of Medication Assisted Treatment, Salud Family Health Centers, Commerce City, CO
Summary
The benefits of a whole-person approach to health is well established, thought it is often assumed that integration of behavioral health (BH) must occur alongside medical providers in the primary care setting. A less frequently considered approach is integrating BH services into a dental clinic, which has the potential of further reducing inter-professional siloes, reducing gaps in patient care, and improving patient outcomes. Salud Family Health Centers, an FQHC in Colorado, sought to add another door to patient access and expand their integrated care model by creating a pilot a program where a BH provider was integrated into the dental clinic. This presentation will provide detail on successes and challenges to integrating BH in a dental clinic and the vast potential in creating this additional entry point to BH care. It will describe strategies for gaining leadership, staff, and patient buy-in. Presenters will also detail initial results of this program.
Workshop Downloads
Objectives
- Describe workflows and strategies for implementation.
- Describe areas of clinical focus (e.g., anxiety, substance use disorder, child abuse, and treatment adherence), as well as relevance of these.
- Describe strategies for gaining leadership, staff, and, most importantly, patient buy-in for this type of integration.
References
- Atchison, K. A., R. G. Rozier, and J.A. Weintraub. 2018. Integration of oral health and primary care: Communication, coordination, and referral. NAM Perspectives. Discussion Paper. National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.31478/201810e.
- Institute of Medicine. 2011. Improving access to oral health care for vulnerable and underserved populations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, doi: 10.17226/13116
- Vujicic, M., H. Israelson, J. Antoon, R. Kiesling, T. Paumier, and M. Zust. 2014. A profession in transition. Guest editorial. Journal of the American Dental Association 145(2): 118-121.
- Auxier, A., Farley, T., & Seifert, K. (2011). Establishing an integrated care practice in a community health center. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42(5), 391-397
- McNeely, Wright, Matthews, Rotrosen, Shelley, Buchholz, & Curro (2013). Substance-use screening and interventions in dental practices. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 144(6), 627-638