Commissioner’s Medical Grand Rounds: Integration of Primary Care and Behavioral Health
Behavioral health conditions are frequently undiagnosed and untreated, and when identified, patients may be reluctant to engage in specialty care. While primary care can play a pivotal role in improving access to behavioral health services, increased understanding of the scope of the problem, the role of primary care in behavioral health, and practical strategies for integration of behavioral health services into primary care are necessary to close the care gap. Primary care providers may be reluctant to screen for and identify behavioral health issues because they have not been trained to diagnosis these issues and may also not be aware of how to treat or where to refer patients once a diagnosis is made. This session will provide information on the need for behavioral health services in primary care as well as the behavioral health training, mentoring, professional support and resources available to primary care providers, and will also provide real life examples of how clinicians have integrated these services and resources into their primary care practices.
For assistance please contact Selena Gonzalez (Selena.Gonzalez@health.ny.gov) from the Office of the Commissioner, NYS Department of Health