The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) seeks to promote the integration of primary and behavioral healthcare through the implementation of a Collaborative Care Model (CoCM). The proposed model will expand on and enhance Virginia's Adult Psychiatric Access Line (APAL), an innovative and collaborative care approach that provides Virginia’s primary care providers (PCPs) with the tools and knowledge necessary to effectively screen, diagnose, treat, and manage adult patients presenting with substance use disorders (SUD) and/or co-occurring substance use disorders and serious mental illness (COD). The APAL model is based on the following components: (1) Provider education and training on screening, diagnosis, treatment, and management of SUD/COD, (2) Case consultations with psychiatrists, addiction medicine specialists, psychologists, and/or social workers, and (3) Care navigation assistance in identifying appropriate regional substance use and mental health related services and resources. DBHDS is partnering with the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) as the APAL contract administrator. MSV represents over 11,000 Virginia physicians, residents, medical students, and physician assistants, and equips these providers with the tools and resources they need to best serve their patients and communities. MSV and Medical Society of Virginia Foundation (MSVF), which serves as the 501(c)(3) arm for MSV, have experience developing health care programs for physicians, which will be beneficial in developing APAL’s provider training and education component.
The proposed CoCM will enhance APAL by embedding care management and psychiatric consultation support directly within three primary care practices located in South-Central and Western Virginia. These regions of the Commonwealth represent some of the most underserved and under-resourced communities with the highest SUD/COD needs and the most barriers to accessing care. This will allow for more targeted and integrated behavioral health and primary care in communities that could be most positively impacted by this increased access to collaborative care.
