ICARE: Integrated Physical Health Care Resources for Mental Health Clients

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

ICARE: Integrated Physical Health Care Resources for Mental Health Clients is an innovative pilot project to create person-centered medical homes—an approach that centralizes care management and supports individuals in the self-management of their own health-- in primary care settings for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). This is a partnership between Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) and Community Research Foundation (CRF). The project enhances overall mental and physical wellness for individuals with SMI by increasing access to physical health care and reducing the stigma often associated with seeking mental health treatment. There are two main subsets of participants in this project. One group consists of clients CRF clinical staff members identify as having stabilized mental health conditions and ready for transfer to FHCSD for comprehensive physical and mental health care in primary health care settings. The other group is comprised of those who continue to receive mental health treatment at CRF and receive physical health care from a FHCSD primary care clinic. The CRF sites participating in this project are the Areta Crowell Center (ACC) and the South Bay Guidance Center (SBGC). The participating FHCSD primary care clinics are located in North Park, Logan, City Heights, Downtown and Chula Vista.