Integrated Care Grant - The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) will partner with five primary care provider organizations to implement the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) and other evidence based practices (EBPs) to comprehensively serve Kansans with comorbid behavioral and physical health conditions under its PIPBHC program. In consultation with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Community Cares Network of Kansas (CCNK), KDADS selected the five providers based on a variety of factors, including behavioral health population needs, level of collaborative/integrative care infrastructure, geographic diversity, and community commitment. The PIPBHC provider partners are comprised of three federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), one FQHC look-alike, and one nonprofit rural health clinic (RHC). Each provider organization will serve a distinct geographic area and provide services to a particular population of focus under the CoCM. The main behavioral health conditions to be served include adults with serious mental illness (SMI), children with serious emotional disturbance (SED), persons with substance use disorders (SUD), and persons with cooccurring SMI and SUD. The Kansas PIPBHC project will serve 8,850 unduplicated individuals over the project period with an average of 1,770 people annually. Each provider service area reflects a high need for integrated care due to insufficient workforce, lack of health coverage, and prevalence of behavioral health issues. These service areas span urban, rural, and frontier areas across Kansas, presenting a diverse set of challenges to implementing integrated care. Per the Health Resources and Services Administration, the five chosen providers reside in or are designated as a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area. In terms of mental health prevalence, a Mental Health America analysis found the collective averages per 100,000 population for people scoring severe depression, frequent suicidal ideation, and at risk for psychosis for the selected service areas are 121.1, 126.9, and 86.1, respectively, which are higher than the national averages at 102.0, 104.4, and 64.0, respectively. From a morbidity perspective, the age adjusted suicide rate per 100,000 was over five points higher than the national average at 19.4 vs. 14.1, respectively. A greater proportion of adults in the provider service areas are also smokers and binge drinkers compared to the state and national averages. The need for integrated services is exacerbated by the lack of legislatively enacted Medicaid expansion, compromising access to care and placing additional strain on safety net providers like FQHCs, FQHC Look Alikes, and RHCs. Through implementation of the CoCM and select EBPs, the Kansas PIPBHC project will address the key needs for integrated care and achieve the following 1. Reduce barriers to accessing integrated physical and behavioral healthcare by embedding the CoCM in all five provider organizations. 2. Increase the capacity for integrated care by implementing evidence based practices to reduce the proportion of adults and youth with nicotine use disorder and other SUD. 3. Decrease the frequency of suicidal ideation through collaborative supports and services that address physical, behavioral, and health related social needs. 4. Improve access to oral health care services through screening and referrals. 5. Develop a robust State infrastructure to implement and establish the CoCM model across the State of Kansas
