Serving together: Strengthening linkages between military families, clinical providers and community resources

Meeting the behavioral health needs of veterans and service members, especially those returning from recent deployments, requires creating strong partnerships between community providers, military agencies, and military families. Adopting a public health approach to developing culturally-competent care for military populations, a county Mental Health Association launched Serving Together in 2011. This outreach program seeks to coordinate civilian and military resources, and provide high-quality, accessible behavioral health care in a county with 50,000 veterans and 500 wounded warriors at a national military medical center. An online needs assessment completed by 347 county behavioral health providers revealed that only 42% screened clients for military status. Between 23% and 38% reported extensive knowledge of treating conditions affecting veterans, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, anger, family stress/relationship problems, and suicide ideation. Less than 25% had extensive knowledge of Traumatic Brain Injury, sleep disorders, substance abuse, and military sexual trauma in this population. Between 10% and 38% of clinicians were confident in treating the latter conditions. This presentation will describe how the needs assessment and community partner input informed development of five interventions: 1) clinical trainings; 2) provider screening for military status, 3) military family mental health trainings to reduce stigma of care-seeking; 4) project website listing local services for military families and clinicians, and 4) peer navigation system to help veterans/troops/family members secure needed services and support. The presenter will offer lessons learned in the project's first two years, sharing a model that other communities can replicate to enhance military families' access to mental healthcare.