Mente y Cuerpo: Integrating Mental Health Screening and bilingual bicultural case management into primary care

Mente y Cuerpo (Mind and Body) is a bilingual/bicultural program that seeks to integrate mental health screening, referrals and education into primary care. The program provides bilingual/bicultural screening and case management services to Latina women 18 and older.

The project has the goal of using evaluation research to change provider behavior and institutional systems so as to incorporate routine mental health screening into primary care, connect patients more effectively to needed mental health and related services and better integrate mental health concerns into the management of chronic diseases.

The project partnership consists of: Lead agency: The Boston Public Health Commission, which is the city's health department. Health Care Facilities: South End Community Health Center and Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center. Both Centers service predominantly Latino populations.

Since May 2008, case managers for this project have screened over 720 Latinas for depression, suicide risk, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Case managers provide active case management, referral to outside resources, facilitate psycho educational groups, and refer to yoga and acupuncture services provided on site. All group services are provided in Spanish.

Focus groups were conducted with clients receiving Mente y Cuerpo services at both sites. Preliminary results indicate clients describe the supportive services provided in their primary care home as imperative in improving their overall health. This was particularly true for women living with multiple chronic physical and mental health conditions.

Mental health screening, case management and referrals to acupuncture and yoga are being tracked over three years.