Four Yale Department of Psychiatry affiliates have chronicled the integration of a primary care clinic with behavior health services at the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC).
The paper, "Establishing an Integrated Health Care Clinic in a Community Mental Health Center: Lessons Learned," was published in the journal Psychiatric Quarterly. The authors were Aniyizhai Annamalai, MBBS, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and of Medicine; Martha Staeheli, PhD, Associate Research Scientist; Robert A. Cole, Lecturer in Psychiatry and Chief Operating Officer of CMHC; and Jeanne L. Steiner, DO, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Director at CMHC.
The authors reviewed the background of how the CMHC Wellness Center came to be located in the state-operated community mental health center, which is affiliated with the Yale School of Medicine. They discussed financing, recruitment of staff, the creation of a shared culture and ownership within the clinic, workflow, and details such as engaging with patients, the sharing of medical records, and data collection.