People with serious mental illness generally have service needs that extend well beyond core mental health treatments such as medication and counseling. This is especially true of people with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders (see Policy Statement 37: Co-Occurring Disorders) but applies equally to any person with mental illness who has concerns related to health care or other disabilities.  In many cases, these needs are best met by agencies or providers who can combine specific expertise in other areas with these or other traditional mental health services. It is certainly easier for clients to access services through providers able to link acute clinical services with necessary support services such as housing assistance, vocational rehabilitation, and educational services - and consumers cite ease of access as an important reason for sticking with or abandoning treatment. Similarly, when they are served by a single agency or by a well-coordinated partnership, consumers usually feel they are treated with greater respect. They are not asked for the same information again and again, and they may even be spared filling out quite so many forms.

From a clinical standpoint, provision of coordinated services simply makes sense. Even when a client sees different clinicians in the same agency, it is more likely that charts and records are consistent and there is agreement on treatment goals. Coordinated care, a value expressed by many health care providers, is much more achievable when all related services are provided by the same agency.

Recommendations:

a.

Promote services and systems integration for co-occurrence of mental illness and other chronic conditions.

b.

Integrate primary health care and mental health care services.

c.

Develop blended funding strategies to sustain comprehensive, integrated services.

d.

Adjust licensing and other regulatory functions to encourage development and operation of comprehensive, integrated services.