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New initiative could increase area's mental health services

Martinsville Bulletin - 5/31/2017

MARTINSVILLE?Local officials hope a new $1.5 million initiative by the Virginia Health Care Foundation will increase mental health services in Henry County and Martinsville.

"I sure hope so," said Greg Preston, executive director of Piedmont Community Services. "It is always good news when funding opportunities and services are made available for our community."

In 2016, Preston explained, Piedmont, which serves Martinsville, Henry, Patrick and Franklin counties, served 6,695 individuals for mental health, substance use, emergency, and developmental services. Approximately 3,517 of the 6,695 were Henry County and Martinsville residents. This was a 9.4 percent growth in the need for services over the prior year. Over the last decade, Piedmont has seen a 61 percent increase.

That's where Virginia Health Care Foundation comes in. The public/private partnership helps uninsured Virginians who live in underserved communities receive mental health, medical and dental care.

The $1.5 million initiative, called Beyond Blue, will have a three-pronged approach, according to a foundation statement. The initiative will address mental health needs in the health-care safety net by integrating behavioral health services with primary medical care for diabetic patients with depression; preparing interested health-care safety net organizations to implement a trauma-informed approach to care in their practices with a focus on resiliency training; and increasing the number of psychiatric nurse practitioners educated and practicing in the health-care safety net and Virginia.

A health-care safety net includes such organizations as community health centers, free and charitable clinics, health departments and hospitals that help people who can't get health care.

As for the first prong of the initiative, depression increases the rate of mortality among people with diabetes by 30 percent due to nonadherence with diabetes treatment plans. Nonadherence also leads to medical emergencies and higher medical costs.

The foundation will award competitive grants to health-care safety net organizations with a paid behavioral health professional to address depression in their diabetic patients by way of an elevated level of integration of behavioral health services with primary medical care.

"It will help HSN (health-care safety net) clinics treat the whole person and address the mental health challenges many patients face that can make it so difficult to conquer or manage diabetes," Debbie Oswalt, executive director of the foundation, said in a statement.

As for the second prong, trauma-informed care, research shows a history of trauma in both children and adults significantly increases the likelihood of long-lasting negative impacts on mental and physical health. Trauma-informed care emphasizes physical, psychological and emotional safety.

The foundation will offer trainings, tools, skills development and technical assistance to health-care safety net providers interested in developing and implementing trauma-informed care and resiliency training in their organizations.

"By creating supportive environments that effectively recognize and respond to the impact of trauma and teach patients resiliency skills, we can significantly improve the health of patients," Oswalt said.

As for the third prong ? helping address the scarcity of psychiatric nurse practitioners ? 75 percent of Virginia is a federally designated mental health professional shortage area. Though there are shortages and an aging work force in many behavioral health professions, by far the most compelling deficiency is the small number of psychiatric nurse practitioners, with only 213 licensed in Virginia.

Shortfalls

To help address this shortage, the foundation will promote and fund full scholarships for nurse practitoners interested in becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Recipients will be required to work two years in the health-care safety net after graduation. The foundation also will help expand psychiatric nurse practitioner programs in targeted Virginia schools of nursing.

"Providing integrated health care is vital," Preston said. "Treating the 'whole person' is imperative. This new behavioral health initiative hopefully will strengthen this goal, as well as increase capacity in our community. Piedmont and the Martinsville/Henry County Coalition for Health and Wellness have a history of working as partners in the community. "

"We also support the emphasis on trauma-informed care, as many of the individuals we serve bear the effects of traumatic experiences," he added. "Piedmont currently collaborates with Bassett Family Practice, a federally qualified health center, which provides medical and behavioral health, as well as reduction of risk factors, and increased access to medical services, primarily for the uninsured and underserved in the Martinsville-Henry County area"

Preston said Piedmont and the coalition recognize that people with behavioral health concerns frequently experience physical health problems that complicate recovery, which can shorten life expectancy significantly. Piedmont and the coalition currently have a memorandum of agreement that aims to formalize an ongoing collaborative effort to align primary and behavioral health services in Martinsville and Henry County. This partnership intends to ensure that individuals and families receive appropriate level of care for their behavioral and physical health needs, and that this care is affordable and accessible, Preston said.

"Piedmont's mission is 'to help individuals, families, and the community enhance their quality of life by providing a highly effective continuum of behavioral health services, including prevention, treatment, education, and support within available resources," he added. "Piedmont's mission to help and enhance someone's quality of life is definitely strengthened through strong community partnerships and opportunities like the Virginia Health Care Foundation announcement of a new $1.5 million behavioral health initiative designed to increase access to mental health services for the medically underserved and uninsured."