Meeting Mental Health Needs in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill

This presentation will open this Symposium by first, describing the history, structure and goals of the Mental and Behavioral Heath Capacity Project (MBHCP).   The presenter will then discuss findings from the MBHCP project in Louisiana, which   provides integrated mental and behavioral health in primary care clinics in seven highly impacted parishes designated by the court.  The clinics are in culturally diverse and rural coastal communities with existing disparities in care; four had no behavioral health services; the other three had very limited services.  With stakeholder guidance, MBHCP-LA developed a stepped-care interprofessional model to provide efficient on-site and telemedicine services to adults and children. 

 METHOD:  Since May 2013, evidence-based assessments of 300 adults and 200 children/adolescents were completed  to support behavioral health evaluation and treatment.  Follow-up assessments were completed by the evaluation team at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.  Adult assessments included measures of PTSD, depression, and anxiety; children/adolescents assessments included ADHD, stress/anxiety, depression, adjustment disorder and relational problems. 

 FINDINGS:  Analyses of adult measures show significant reductions in behavioral health symptoms following treatment - accompanied by a decrease in physical health symptoms. Changes in mental health drive changes in health symptoms.  Analyses of children and adolescents measures show similar reductions in symptoms.  Analyses also show high satisfaction and significant increases in resilience (the ability to adapt to change and bounce back after adversity.)

 CONCLUSION:  The MBHCP Integration model appears beneficial in addressing  behavioral and physical health in largely rural communities. Findings are likely to have broader public health implications.