Rural Project Examples Addressing Behavioral health

Bridges to Care Transitions-Remote Home Monitoring and Chronic Disease Self-Management
Updated/reviewed December 2019

Need: Decrease hospital readmissions and emergency room visits for patients in rural Tidewater, Virginia.
Intervention: After inpatient admission or ER visit, identify at-risk patients to offer enrollment in remote monitoring and disease self-management education and coaching, with a special focus on behavioral health wellness.
Results: Decreased readmissions and ER visits paired with high patient satisfaction scores.

Optimal Health Behavioral Health Home Models
Updated/reviewed December 2019

Need: A healthcare delivery model to improve health and well-being of Pennsylvania patients with serious mental illness in Pennsylvania, especially those in rural settings.
Intervention: County human service administrators, patients, families, a behavioral health provider network, and a nonprofit behavioral health managed care organization implemented 2 versions of a behavioral home health model focusing on a complete culture of wellness.
Results: These unique models significantly increased patient activation, engagement in both primary and specialty care, and improved client perception of their mental health status.

MIST: Mothers and Infants Sober Together
Updated/reviewed May 2019

Need: To address the needs of pregnant women who are using substances and infants born into drug-positive families.
Intervention: The Mothers and Infants Sober Together (MIST) program assisted mothers who used substances get treatment and provide a safe, drug-free home for themselves and their newborn.
Results: MIST has helped mothers find treatment and education and has helped children grow up in safe and healthy homes.

Healthy Men Michigan
Updated/reviewed April 2019

Need: Mental health assistance and resources for men in rural Michigan who struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts.
Intervention: The Healthy Men Michigan campaign was a research study testing online screening for depression, including irritability and anger, and suicide in working-aged men. The Healthy Men Michigan campaign website also offers referrals to local and national resources specific to men's mental health.
Results: More than 5,000 individuals completed anonymous online screenings and 550 men enrolled in the study. Healthy Men Michigan secured partnerships with over 225 individual and organizational partners, including healthcare facilities, small businesses, and recreational groups across the state. Together, their efforts have helped to promote screenings, reduce stigma, and encourage help-seeking behavior to prevent suicide.

Families Plus Comprehensive Health and Mentoring for Underserved Youth
Added March 2019

Need: Pediatric behavioral health services in Delta County, Colorado.
Intervention: Multi-organizational and community-wide effort to increase healthcare access for underserved children and to integrate behavioral health care into the area's primary care clinics.
Results: Sustainable increases in access to pediatric behavioral health services.

School-Based Drug Misuse Prevention Program
Added March 2019

Need: School-based drug misuse prevention program in Appalachian Ohio, a need triggered by a high school student's overdose death.
Intervention: Implementation of the HOPE curriculum, an age-appropriate K through 12th grade drug abuse prevention program.
Results: No further drug overdose deaths after curriculum initiated.

Foundations Family Medicine's HIV, HCV, Opioid and Substance Use Disorder Services
Added November 2018

Need: Due to the opioid crisis, Austin, Indiana has seen the largest concentrated outbreak of HIV in rural America's recent history. Since 2015, over 200 residents have been diagnosed with the virus.
Intervention: Foundations Family Medicine began offering testing and treatment services for HIV, hepatitis C, and opioid/substance use disorder. Education, care coordination and behavioral health services were also offered as an integrated part of their primary care clinic.
Results: Although the virus continues to spread throughout Scott County, the rate has significantly decreased, outdoing national suppression rates by a large margin (76% compared to national average of 49%).

LIFECORE Health Group's Integrated Care Delivery Model
Updated/reviewed January 2018

Need: A model that integrates primary care and mental health for rural residents in northeast Mississippi.
Intervention: LIFECORE Health Group created an integrated care delivery model that meets the mental health and primary care needs of children and adolescents who suffer from severe emotional disturbances and adults who suffer from chronic behavioral health disorders or chemical dependency.
Results: LIFECORE's integrated model has become a sustainable approach to health, reducing the amount of hospital stays and increasing patient compliance, utilization of LIFECORE services, health outcomes of patients with chronic diseases, and facility revenue.

Rural Project Examples: Behavioral health