When working with people experiencing homelessness, there is a high demand by patients for behavioral health interventions. Patients desire psychotherapy, occupational therapy, and access to the starting and monitoring of psychotropic medication. With the goal of offering a holistic model of care, Healthcare in Action (HIA) was met with the challenge of integrating behavioral health into program delivery.

Currently, HIA has integrated an interdisciplinary team of providers who work collaboratively to meet the high demand for behavioral health services, including a Mental Health Therapist, Occupational Therapist, and Physician Assistant Psychiatric Fellow. Provision of behavioral health services takes place on the mobile van while seeing patients at their preferred location, at shelters, and individually whenever and however patients prefer to work with members of the team.

HIA has sponsored our Physician Assistant to complete a Psychiatry fellowship in order to increase patient access to comprehensive psychiatric services. The psychiatric fellow is equipped to adjust medications frequently, deliver medications directly, and provide rapid follow-up with patients to reduce barriers to medication compliance and increase patient understanding of psychotropic treatments. Psychotherapy and OT services are incorporated both as a consult service to all patients and are provided directly to patients with longitudinal behavioral health goals. Psychotherapy and OT are also incorporated directly into the housing process for patients who are transitioning from homelessness to support with adjustment to new routines and to improve housing outcomes. By increasing touch point quantity and screening rates, and by enhancing medical provider psychiatric competence, barriers to behavioral health treatment are minimized as patients are more reliably connected to appropriate services, have improved medication compliance, and more successfully reintegrated into permanent housing.

Speakers:
 ◦ Rachel Kent, Occupational Therapist, Healthcare in Action
◦ Catherine Parsekian, Physician Assistant, Healthcare in Action
◦ Emma Tasini, Mental Health Specialist, Healthcare in Action

Conference 2023