Integrating Primary and Mental Healthcare

Accessing mental health care is a focus of NAMI Utah.  However, helping people with serious mental illness access health care is also a critical need.  People with serious mental illness in Utah lose almost three decades of life (27 years on average) due to lack of treatment and availability of services compared to the general population of the state.  Specialty mental health providers often have difficulty providing adequate medical care to consumers with co-existing mental and physical illnesses.  One solution to this problem is to treat both health and mental health in an integrated manner in a primary care setting.  This concept is referred to as “Mental Health Integration.”

Whole Health Initiative Project Overview

The Whole Health Initiative project is a community collaboration adapted from Intermountain Healthcare’s Mental Health Integration Model. Community partners include:  the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Salt Lake County, Intermountain Healthcare, the Utah State Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Valley Mental Health, and the Utah State Health Department.

The Whole Health Initiative was developed in order to 1) integrate mental health and physical health care in a single site, and 2) to deliver behavioral healthcare services in an innovative, cost-effective manner.

The Whole Health Initiative is sited at three primary health clinics.  The patients meet with the eligibility team to determine if they are eligible for Medicaid or PCN and receive assistance in their applications. The clinics treat people who are eligible for Medicaid or PCN, are uninsured  or underinsured.

In addition to the health services usually provided at the clinic, patients will be universally screened with standardized instruments to detect the need for mental health services.  When mental health conditions are identified, patients will receive behavioral health services based on severity of need:

• mild: medication evaluation from the health center physician with available psychiatric consultation;
• moderate symptoms: immediate short-term psychotherapy services from an in-house clinician (acute interventionist), or referral to community providers for longer term treatment; and  family facilitation and care management services;
• severe: referral to Valley Mental Health for specialty behavioral health services

Based on their preference and clinical need, treatment will include services provided by the following team:

1. a medication evaluation from the Health Center physician with available psychiatric consultation;
2. short-term psychotherapy services from an in-house mental health clinician,
3. a referral to community mental health providers for longer term treatment;
4. care management provided by a NAMI Family/Consumer Mentor and
5. access to free NAMI family and consumer education and support.

For more information about the Whole Health Initiative, contact Rebecca at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For more information about Intermountain Healthcare’s Mental Health Integration program.