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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH March 26, 2014 S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda & Abstracts\2014 Agenda & Abstracts/March Page 3 B. Integrated Care Meredith Stewart, Program Manager presented information on the integration of mental health and primary care services as an identified BOH priority, local, state, and federal priority in providing quality care. Integrated care includes a wide range of behavioral health issues, screening, brief intervention, and targeted referrals. It is not a replacement for specialty mental health/substance abuse services. Meredith reviewed local examples of mental health and primary care integration, with a discussion of the successes and challenges of each, and recommended steps to consider in preparation for Board of Health strategic planning related to integration of care. Meredith reported that the Health Department is exploring multiple avenues to increase access to integrated behavioral health and primary care services in the county. Two main ways are: • The Health Department submitted a grant to the Office of Rural Health to create a mobile team, consisting of a behavioral health provider and a public health nurse, to provide limited primary care and behavioral health services and care coordination in the high-poverty areas previously identified in Orange County. This grant builds on our successful family home visiting model, and fits with the Health Department’s increasing focus on poverty and access to care as root causes of chronic disease over the lifetime. The initial grant is for $150,000 from July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015, with the potential for two additional years of funding based on results. A decision is expected by May 1, 2014. • Meredith recommended that the BOH Mental Health and Substance Abuse sub- committee consider including action steps related to examining the feasibility and logistics of integration of behavioral health services in the BOH 2014-2016 Strategic Plan. These include assessing organizational readiness and developing a business and operations plan for integration of behavioral health care into the Health Department’s primary care services. If included in the 2014-2016 Strategic Plan, the subcommittee will work with department staff and community partners to provide recommendations to the full Board for consideration in the 2015-2016 fiscal year budget. Board members had several questions that were addressed by Dr. Bridger and Meredith Stewart. They expressed interest in the grant application, and commented on its good fit in addressing BOH priorities and the focus on poverty.