This column was originally featured on Newportri.com.
Newport County has the highest percentage of older residents in the state: 26.8% of residents are 65 years or older, and nearly 11% of those are 75 or older (source: US Census). When you consider that people aged 55 and over account for more than half of the total spending on healthcare in the U.S. (source: KFF), it highlights the unique challenges that Newport County faces in providing the appropriate medical and behavioral healthcare for its residents.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) are empowered to create innovative programs tailored to meet the unique needs—and leverage the strengths—of the communities they serve. As the CCBHC serving Newport County, Newport Mental Health enhances access to healthcare for older adults in several significant ways:
- Comprehensive Services: CCBHCs provide a wide range of services beyond traditional mental health care, including primary medical care and substance use treatment.
- Care Coordination: CCBHCs offer care coordination services that help older adults navigate the healthcare system. This includes scheduling appointments, coordinating transportation, and ensuring that all aspects of their healthcare are aligned.
- Accessibility: Many CCBHCs, including Newport Mental Health, are designed to be more accessible, with flexible hours, telehealth options, and locations near or in underserved communities and on bus routes, making it easier for older adults to receive care.
- Community Engagement: CCBHCs engage with the community through outreach programs, educating older adults about available resources and encouraging them to seek help for both physical and mental health needs.
- Culturally Competent Care: CCBHCs emphasize providing culturally competent care, ensuring that services are respectful and responsive to the diverse backgrounds of older adults.
Even before becoming a CCBHC earlier this year, Newport Mental Health had been working in partnership with the federal and state government to increase resources for this population. We already have specialized teams who work with older adults with complex behavioral and healthcare needs. These Integrated Health Home (IHH) teams visit older adults in their homes to provide behavioral health services, while also addressing transportation needs, housing security, social isolation, and other social determinants of health.
Behavioral Health as a Starting Point for Coordinated Healthcare
For our behavioral health clients who might otherwise go without seeing a medical doctor, Newport Mental Health operates a primary care clinic at 65 Valley Road in Middletown. Outpatient primary care is just one of the nine service types that Newport Mental Health, and all CCBHCs, are required to offer either directly or through collaborative partners. (The other services are crisis intervention, person- and family-centered treatment planning, outpatient mental health and substance use disorder services, peer support, psychiatric rehabilitation services, case management, veterans’ services, and screening/diagnosis/risk assessment.) By integrating physical and behavioral health services, CCBHCs can better manage chronic conditions and mental health issues simultaneously, which is especially critical for older populations, who are more likely to have multiple health concerns. To support this effort, CCBHC status has allowed us to expand our workforce across a wide range of roles, adding more licensed clinicians, peer support specialists, case managers, and support staff, all of whom play a part in delivering this comprehensive, integrated care.
Traditionally, this type of integrated medical/behavioral health care begins in the office of the primary care physician, with measures such as screenings, on-site social workers, and coordinated referrals offered in addition to the regular appointment. This approach offers numerous benefits, including reducing the stigma around mental health by incorporating it into regular physical health check-ups. It also cuts costs by ensuring people receive appropriate care, improves overall outcomes, and makes care more convenient.
There isn’t a single “right” model for integrated care—both primary care and behavioral health starting points are valuable. The appropriate entry point depends on the complexity of the patient’s needs. In either case, collaboration between primary care and behavioral health providers is crucial. Rather than treatment occurring in separate silos, patients are now placed at the center, receiving interconnected supportive services. An integrated approach improves health outcomes, reduces barriers to care, and enhances access to additional resources for those struggling with mental health issues. The CCBHC approach also saves money by steering individuals away from costly emergency department and hospital visits, directing them instead to settings that meet their behavioral health needs.
This a new day for our capacity to serve older adults. The CCBHC model has and will continue to develop proven integrated healthcare solutions, ensuring vital resources reach the individuals and families in need. This vision of a healthier Rhode Island, emotionally, physically, and economically, and a commitment to improving our system of care, have paved the way for integrated care to become a reality. We know that when providers work together, we can achieve remarkable results.
