Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare launches primary care services, offering benefits of integrated health care
New services for Cascadia clients begin in February at Woodland Park Health Center, expand to Plaza and Garlington health centers this spring.
PORTLAND, OR – A heart-wrenching fact: individuals who struggle with severe and persistent mental illness die 20 to 30 years sooner than those without mental illness. Just as distressing, research shows these individuals’ deaths are typically not due to mental illness, but to other health problems – hypertension, asthma, diabetes – that haven’t been adequately treated.
Now Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare is adding primary care to the mental health, addiction and housing services it offers clients, taking a whole health care approach to address this disparity.
“We believe integrated services can improve healthcare delivery and help people live longer and healthier lives,” said Dr. Jeffrey Eisen, Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare Chief Medical Officer. “By offering primary care together with mental healthcare and housing services, we’ll provide continuity of care for our clients, helping them reach their treatment goals and achieve recovery.”
Services include health screening and doctor visits
Cascadia will open primary care services for clients in February at its Woodland Park Health Center. The services expand to its Plaza Health Center and the new Garlington Health Center later this spring.
All clients will receive care by a team of healthcare specialists, composed of primary care providers and clinical specialists.
The services are comprehensive: a client completes a health screen, a risk assessment, and participates in the gathering of baseline health measures, including body mass index and blood pressure. Then, depending on the person’s needs, they may be seen by a primary care provider, enrolled in a program to quit smoking, helped to find housing, introduced to a mental health practitioner, or welcomed into a health and wellness group, among many examples.
Research suggests access to integrated primary care, mental health and substance use recovery services also help individuals avoid the need to use costly services with uncertain long-term outcomes, such as the emergency room.
National pilot program studies integrated approach
Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare was named a Certified Community Behavioral Health Center, or CCBHC, last year as part of a national two-year pilot program to measure the benefits of integrating mental health treatment, substance use support and physical health care.
Oregon is one of just eight states chosen to participate in the CCBHC program, and Cascadia’s three Portland health centers are among only 13 selected statewide.
“Our transition to an integrated, whole health care model is all about better serving our clients,” said Derald Walker, Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare President & CEO. “We’re especially grateful for the expertise and energy of our employees as we take this innovative approach to care.”
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ABOUT CASCADIA BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE
Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare is a private, not-for-profit whose mission is to provide whole health care for people living with mental health and addiction challenges. Information on Cascadia’s comprehensive range of innovative, integrated clinical and housing support programs is at www.cascadiabhc.org. News Release February 1, 2018