Indian Health Service Grant for Behavioral Health Integration Initiative

The purpose of the Behavioral Health Integration Initiative (BH2I) program is to improve the physical and mental health status of people with behavioral health issues by developing an integrated and coordinated system of care. This effort supports the Indian Health Service (IHS) mission to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals to the highest level. Increasing capacity among Tribal and Urban Indian Organization (UIO) health facilities to implement an integrative approach in the delivery of behavioral health services, including trauma-informed care, nutrition, exercise, social, spiritual, cultural, and primary care services, will improve morbidity and mortality outcomes among the AI/AN population. In addition, this effort will support activities to improve the quality of life for individuals suffering from mental illness, substance use disorders, and adverse childhood experiences. Other outcomes related to this effort include improved behavioral health services to increase access to integrated health and social well-being services and the early identification and intervention of mental health, substance use, and serious physical health issues, including chronic disease. This work will also identify and assess various models addressing unique integrative needs and the challenges, barriers, and successes in AI/AN health systems. Finally, an improvement in the overall health of patients participating in integrative programs is expected.

For this grant, the full spectrum of behavioral health services are strongly encouraged and are defined as screening for mental and substance use disorders, including serious mental illness; alcohol, substance, and opioid use disorders; suicidality and trauma (e.g., interpersonal violence, physical abuse, adverse childhood experiences) assessment, including risk assessment and diagnosis; patient-centered treatment planning, evidence-based outpatient mental and substance use disorder treatment services (including pharmacological and psychosocial services); crisis services; peer support services; and care coordination.

Models of Care

The IHS understands unique challenges and circumstances exist across Tribal communities and sites. In fact, integrative models of care vary according to needs and capabilities but all strive to enhance clinical processes and workflow across multi-disciplinary teams. This program will support sites that have identified gaps in services and established efforts to link critical policy and service-level connections, including new and innovative ways of conducting business between differing management and operations of Federal and Tribal health services and programs. In addition, participants can expect to use technologies that facilitate behavioral health integration including technology that increases the site’s ability to create a patient registry; document current procedural terminology (CPT) codes; and track behavioral health assessment scores with the capacity to provide care coordination between the behavioral health and primary care team.