Oral

Access to mental health services is especially problematic. In the 2001 report from the U.S. Surgeon General it was found that each year, less than one child in five in need of mental health care actually receives it. This session will focus on strategies to improve public mental health planning and access to mental health services. We will begin with two presentations on community-wide efforts to improve mental health access. First, we will have a description of the work of a Task Force including key community-based agency representatives designed to improve mental health planning and policy development. This will be followed by a systems approach including mental health institutions and the criminal justice system. We will then discuss the expansion of the scope of practice of primary care providers to include treatment of psychiatric disorders as a way to deal with inadequate mental health service access. The role that private foundations may play in addressing these issues is discussed next, focusing on the problem of domestic violence. Our final presentation will describe a HRSA funded collaboration among the Boston Public Health Commission, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and Boston community health centers to improve identification and intervention for women's behavioral risks in primary care.

Session Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will be better able to: • Identify steps in implementing a community-wide planning process for mental health services. • Identify techniques for building effective partnerships among community service systems. • Describe the unique challenges faced by health care providers attempting to manage serious co-morbid physical and mental health conditions in settings that provide primary health care to socially and economically disadvantaged populations • Discuss the capabilities of private foundations to impact health policy • Learn about an effective method for integrating diverse community voices into program development and provider training

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing