Mission Moment: Collaboration with health department focuses on physical healthcare as well as mental healthcare

From left to right, BNC President and CEO Patrick Schmitz, LDCPH APRN Nicole Parker, LDCPH APRN & Nurse Supervisor Brittnay Schuetz, BNC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nana Dadson, BNC Senior Director of Community Based Services Marsha Page-White, LDCPH Director of Clinical Services Christine Ebert, LDCPH Executive Director Jonathan Smith.

Last October, the Bert Nash Center signed an agreement with Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, laying the groundwork for the health department to become a Designated Collaborating Organization. A soft launch of the arrangement started in January.

The new initiative has Bert Nash Center team members embedded within the health department’s clinic space with the goal to seamlessly facilitate referrals between the two agencies.

In the past, physical health wasn't often incorporated into mental healthcare. Now that client information will be documented into the chart and reviewed by all the client’s mental health providers.

“I’m proud of our ability to think outside the walls of our Center and leverage the expertise of our community partners to help us provide better health outcomes. By tapping into our respective strengths, our two agencies will be creating a unique relationship that can improve the way we both serve people and allow us to care for the whole person in a way that the Bert Nash Center has not been able to in the past,” said Patrick Schmitz, Bert Nash Center CEO.

The new initiative is also part of the Bert Nash Center becoming a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) in 2023. The focus of CCBHC is on whole-person care.

Marsha Page-White, Senior Director of Community Based Services, said the collaborative arrangement with the health department “is really about integrating physical health into the work that we’re doing.”

In the past, she said, “Getting physical health needs met would often take one to two months to get into see a provider or get established with a provider based on the client's coverage or lack of coverage.  The client's information about physical health was not included in our records, so having it all in one place allows better coordination of care for our clients.”

A health screening starts the process. If a Bert Nash Center client has been identified as having a co-morbidity issue, such as high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes or any other chronic physical condition, they will be referred to the health department to have a doctor look into their physical health needs. If they have a primary care physician, the team will help the client get to their appointment. 

“It’s really a collaborative arrangement,” Page-White said. “We want to engage with our clients to make sure they are taking of their physical healthcare needs as they are taking care of their mental healthcare needs.”

Jonathan Smith, Executive Director of Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, added, “I’m grateful for the work of our staff, our Health Board, and Bert Nash for giving us the opportunity to transform this idea of collaboration into reality. Our building is named the Community Health Facility, and this initiative will allow us to deliver on that name by mobilizing partnerships to enable equitable access to physical and mental health services under one roof.”