Introducing Collaborative Care: A New Community Mental Health Initiative

By Office of the President | May 24, 2023

Congratulations to the University Hospital at Downstate (UHD) social work team on its new Collaborative Care Mental Health Initiative rollout in conjunction with National Mental Health Awareness Month.

Behavioral health problems such as depression and anxiety are among the most common and disabling health conditions worldwide. Although effective treatments exist for these conditions, most people in need do not receive adequate care due to stigma, a shortage of mental health specialists, and a lack of follow-through.

Collaborative care is an evidence-based model that addresses this problem by providing medical and mental health care in primary care and other clinical settings. Offering mental health treatments in primary care is convenient for patients, can reduce the stigma associated with treatment for mental disorders, builds on existing provider-patient relationships, and can help improve care for the millions of patients with both medical and mental disorders.

Collaborative care focuses on defined patient populations tracked in a registry, measurement-based practice, and treatment to target. Trained primary care providers and embedded behavioral health professionals provide evidence-based medication or psychosocial treatments, supported by regular psychiatric case consultation and treatment adjustment for patients who are not improving as expected.

Getting mental healthcare assistance to those in need has never been more critical. Our Central Brooklyn neighborhoods suffered some of the highest COVID-19 infection and death rates in New York City and the State. See: These N.Y.C. Neighborhoods Have the Highest Rates of Virus Deaths - The New York Times (nytimes.com). One of the most devastating impacts of the pandemic is the significant toll on the mental health of our communities, as shown by numerous studies, e.g., Mental Health Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic in New York State. The financial strain caused by widespread job loss decreases New Yorkers’ ability to afford mental health care and increases other risk factors for poor mental health. Young people, in particular, have been the most severely affected; see, America’s Teens are in a Mental Health Crisis. So are New York’s. We are proud to include these services in our Pediatrics Health Center.

Collaborative care, which will offer mental health services and care coordination at this scale in the outpatient setting, is essential for Downstate. Services are available to Downstate patients who receive primary care at UHD. The program will be integrated within four Downstate primary care centers: Family Medicine - at Suite B, Family Medicine at 840 Lefferts Ave, Internal Medicine - at Suite R, and Pediatrics - at Suite D. Together, these centers will see close to 40,000 visits annually. Please spread the word to your patients, co-workers, and neighbors.

The new team in the Care Coordination Department includes Eva Spears-Smith, LCSW-R, CCM; ambulatory Social Work Supervisor, Charles Edwards, LMSW; Daniel Lorient, LMSW; Jania Charles, Social Work Assistant; Donoven Gabin, Social Work Assistant; and Makaiah Blackburn, Social Work Assistant. They will provide mental health services to patients in collaboration with primary care doctors and Psychiatry. Ms. Spears-Smith was recently featured as a profile during Social Work Month in March. Felicia Thompson, LMSW, MPA, and Social Work Director, will lead this initiative. Please join us in welcoming the team.