A behavioral health care system's place-based initiatives for community impact

The Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS) is implementing large-scale initiatives that illustrate a public health approach to behavioral health.  This presentation will highlight several case studies of these programs. The first will describe the citywide implementation of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), a public education program designed to improve participants’ knowledge and skills in helping others in mental distress and to decrease negative attitudes about mental illness. The Philadelphia MHFA program has trained over 8,000 Philadelphians with over 200 Philadelphia-based instructors, with the intention to train 100,000. The second case study will describe a behavioral health screening initiative, conducted online and in-person, including the first mental health screening kiosk located inside a large supermarket in an under-resourced neighborhood. Over 4,000 people have been screened and connected to resources through this initiative. The final case study will describe a unique partnership with the city’s Mural Arts Program. Since 2008, DBHIDS has partnered with the Mural Arts Program, mental health consumers and family members, local artists and activists, community agencies, and neighborhood residents to create public murals that promote individual and community wellness and neighborhood revitalization. Known as the Porch Light Program, this partnership has resulted in more than 25 completed projects, including 20 large-scale murals, and several ongoing mural projects in Philadelphia.  This presentation will highlight lessons learned from these initiatives in Philadelphia, with implications for other community and place-based strategies to improve population behavioral health.