United Services has been a Behavioral Health Home (BHH) since 2015. What is a Behavioral Health Home?  It is not a home or a residential program.  Instead, it is an innovative health care model that integrates behavioral health care with physical health care and focuses on care coordination,  disease self management and adoption of a healthy lifestyle.

The impetus for this new service is that individuals with a serious mental health disorder die,  on average,  25 years earlier than their peers.  By ensuring that individuals receive timely and quality health care that is coordinated among all health providers we hope to  change this alarming statistic.  Many of the health problems that lead to a shortened life span are areas that are life style related and can be modified.  Obesity and tobacco use are linked to many of the illnesses that are seen so frequently among the BHH enrollees –  high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The Behavioral Health Home (BHH) was developed by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) in collaboration with the Department of Social Services (DSS).  In order to be enrolled in BHH, the individual must have Medicaid, have one of 6 psychiatric disorders, and have had a $10,000 or more Medicaid spend within one calendar year.  BHH’s are  sited within the Lead Mental Health Authorities (LMHA)  across the state and have a  triple aim:

• Improve  the experience of care,
• Improve  health care outcomes
• Reduce unnecessary emergency room and inpatient readmissions thus reducing health care spending

BHH Services include:

• Assessment – taking a complete health history which includes screening for depression,  obtaining baseline Blood Pressure and BMI, and offering tobacco cessation counseling
• Care coordination – communicating with behavioral health and physical health care providers to ensure coordination of care
• Health promotion – education regarding disease self-management, nutrition, physical activity,  tobacco cessation, and stress reduction
• Transitional care – collaborating with discharge planners on inpatient units regarding plans for after-care
• Individual and Family Support
• Referrals to Community and Support Services

Staff includes Nurse Care Managers, Case Managers and Recovery Specialists including Peers as well as a Primary Care Consultant (PCP).   BHH staff work hand in hand with the other providers on an individual’s treatment team both within United Services and within the larger community.

Funding for this program is provided by the CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS).