Integrating mental healthcare and primary care in a rural community: A successful campus community partnership

The World Health Organization states that “mental health is an integral part of health; indeed there is no health without mental health.” In a September 2010 Fact Sheet, WHO stated that “over 450 million people suffer from mental health disorders”. Access to high quality mental health care is an issue in many communities. Barriers include lack of mental health care providers, lack of integration with primary care, long waiting lists for mental health providers, stigma, and lack of health coverage for needed services. Integrating mental health care with primary care has been an important step in achieving high quality patient centered care. An innovative strategy to integrate mental health care and primary care in a remote rural community in Virginia involving an academic institution and a primary care practice will be discussed. Few mental health resources were available to community residents, and those that were available had very long waiting lists. Access to services and consultation was a significant problem. Collaboration between university faculty members and the primary care physician resulted in improved patient care outcomes and provided a rich learning opportunity for students. Doctoral students, partnered with a faculty clinician and a family practice physician, accept referrals for mental health evaluation and treatment. Regular case reviews and opportunities for consultation result in a win-win for patients, providers and student clinicians. Elements of program development and principles of partnership will be discussed allowing session participants to adapt the model to their setting.