Integrated and Culturally Relevant Care: A Model to Prepare Social Workers for Primary Care Behavioral Health Practice

• Published in: Social work in health care Vol. 54; no. 10; pp. 909 - 938
• Main Authors: Davis, Tamara S., Guada, Joe, Reno, Rebecca, Peck, Adriane, Evans, Shannon, Sigal, Laura Moskow, Swenson, Staci
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Routledge 26.11.2015; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: Access; behavioral health; Community mental health services; Cultural Competency; culturally relevant; field education; Health behavior; Health care access; Health care delivery; Health care policy; Health disparities; Health services; Health Services Accessibility - organization & administration; Health services utilization; Healthcare Disparities; Humans; Hygiene; In care; Inequality; Integrated care; Interprofessional Relations; Mass Screening; Medical personnel; Medicine; Mental health; Mental health care; Mental health services; Mental Health Services - organization & administration; Patient Care Management - organization & administration; Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act 2010-US; Policy making; Practice placements; Primary care; Primary Health Care - organization & administration; Professional training; Reforms; Service provision; Social factors; Social Stigma; Social work; Social Work - education; Social Work - organization & administration; Social workers; Students; United States > US; primary care; field education; integrated care; social work; behavioral health; culturally relevant
• ISSN: 0098-1389; 1541-034X
• DOI: 10.1080/00981389.2015.1062456

Policymakers and researchers emphasize needs for an integrated, effective, and efficient health care system to address well-documented disparities and inequities in care experienced by diverse populations. The Affordable Care Act, through its support of integrated health care, addresses social determinants of health with a goal of increasing access to care. Social work is poised to assume a central position in health care reform and integrated behavioral health, but must prepare practitioners to work alongside medical providers in health care settings. This article describes a social work field education model developed in partnership with community mental health and health care providers. The model, Integrated and Culturally Relevant Care, prepares social work students to provide behavioral health services in integrated primary care environments.