The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #57754

Donna Torrisi, MSN, Abbottsford Family Practice & Counseling, The Family Practice & Counseling Network, 3205 Defense Terrace, philadelphia, RI 19129 and Cheryl F. MacDonald, MSN, MPH, Falls Family Practice and Counseling, 4333 Kelly Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19129, 215-843-2580, cmacd@voicenet.com.

Integrating Primary Care and Behavioral Health: Improving Depression Outcomes in a Community Health Center

Two Community Health Centers in Philadelphia serving low income and public housing residents exist to improve the health status of the people they serve. The staff believed that the incidence of major depression among their patients was enormous and that they had only begun to identify and treat the problem. In February 2000, the health center joined the “Depression Collaborative” a program of the Institute for Health Improvement in Boston, Mass. The “Collaborative” brought together teams of staff from community health centers across the country to reduce health disparities among low income and underserved people. After three years of primary care providers routinely screening adult patients for depression, over 200 new patients have received care, over seventy percent of patients have significant improvement in depression symptoms, and patient productivity and quality of life has improved. Additionally the size of the behavioral health department has tripled. An array of materials was created to provide patients with information that dispelled myths and increased their understanding of depression as a medical illness. Primary care staff satisfaction has increased as their competence in assessing and treating depression has increased and patient somatization decreased. There are implications for routine screening in non-behavioral health settings at the first point of service and in the community.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will learn organizational changes that lead to improved depression outcomes.
• Participants will learn specific techniques for integrating routinedepression screening into a primary care visit.
• Participants will become familiar with tools used to assess the presence of major depression at the first point of service.

Keywords: Depression, Primary Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.