Psychiatric consultants and behavioral care managers will work with primary care teams at eight additional New York health centers and rural clinics under an initiative for patients with overlapping physical and behavioral health needs.
The team-based approach is the focus of ACCESS-NY, a five-year project backed by $10 million from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, according to a state announcement.
The state expects the initiative to reach roughly 1,750 people ages 6 and older. It is aimed at patients who have a chronic physical condition along with mental health or substance use challenges.
Care will connect services around primary care patients
A psychiatric consultant and a behavioral care manager join the primary care team under the collaborative care model. They help with treatment and medication management, bringing behavioral health support into a practice that also treats patients’ physical conditions.
The state Office of Mental Health will administer ACCESS-NY, short for Advancing Collaborative Care for Evidence-Based, Sustainable Systems. The eight added sites will be federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics serving people with complex needs.
Primary care practices will also partner with community mental health centers. The initiative includes training on physical health conditions so clinicians working across the services can better identify and manage those needs.
Office of Mental Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan said integration can make coordinated treatment more accessible in community-based settings. Gov. Kathy Hochul said the funding would extend behavioral health services within primary care.
Technology and workforce changes support the model
The project will support electronic health record technology that assists clinical decisions and practice workflow. Online training is another part of the effort to equip health care workers to deliver integrated services.
The initiative will examine how mental health support specialists and registered nurses can fill roles required by the care model. State lawmakers supporting the investment highlighted coordination between providers and access barriers in rural communities.
Federal funding begins with $4 million covering the first two years. Each of the three remaining years will receive $2 million, making a five-year total of $10 million.
New York began supporting collaborative care in 2012. More than 450 physical health practices already use the approach statewide; ACCESS-NY will add sites through the new federal award.
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