As the market leader in empowering care coordination, Unite Us has witnessed many of the challenges that individuals face when seeking services across siloed providers, as well as the difficulties that Part 2 providers manage when working to coordinate care with their partners. The final rule aims to address those challenges by aligning Part 2 with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), thereby facilitating integration of SUD treatment information with other health information. In this way, the final rule will help enhance providers’ ability to treat the whole person and improve health outcomes, while continuing to protect the privacy of those seeking care.

In a letter to the Office of Civil Rights on a proposed version of the rule, Unite Us wrote: “Individuals with SUDs deserve equal access to coordinated networks of care to improve their health and well-being. Integrated whole-person care, which is critical for an individual’s health and well-being, requires that providers be able to share clinical information about the client’s treatment and their healthcare condition.” You can read Unite Us’s full comment letter here.

Read the Comment Letter

The post Unite Us Applauds HHS for Advancing Care Coordination and Improving Outcomes for Individuals with Substance Use Disorders appeared first on uniteus.com.

Across the country, communities are facing significant challenges in meeting the growing needs for behavioral health care services. Healthcare and community-based organizations alike have seen that they cannot tackle this surge in demand alone.

In this webinar, discover the strategic and coordinated efforts that champion a comprehensive and proactive approach to mental wellness—leaving no individual or community behind.

You’ll learn: 

• The pivotal role of community-based organizations in enhancing mental health care delivery
• The importance of building networks that embrace diversity and cultural sensitivity
• Strategies for seamless collaboration between healthcare organizations and local community partners

The post Improving Behavioral Health: A Community Effort Webinar appeared first on uniteus.com.

Growing up with the Kennedy last name, our guest today was no stranger to larger than life pressure and responsibility, and grief and addiction. Throughout his career, Patrick decided to use his famous moniker to highlight the changes that needed and still need to happen in healthcare in regards to mental health and addiction.

Welcome to this episode of What Unites Us, a podcast about building businesses meant to last. We aim to answer some of the toughest questions about branding, leadership, and success while talking to business trailblazers about their biggest lessons learned.

Today, we welcome Patrick Kennedy, politician and mental health and substance use advocate. Patrick talks to us about his start in politics, his familial background with addiction, and what he believes needs to change in substance use and mental health care.

In this episode, you will learn: 

• Patrick’s political origin story (2:14)
• Patrick’s background with mental health and addiction (6:14)
• What Patrick believes should change when treating addiction (11:52)
• A compromise between those who want to restrict information sharing and those who don’t (16:21)
• What could change if we treat the stigma behind mental illness and addiction (18:55)
• Patrick’s tips for those who want to use their voice for advocacy (23:55)
• What’s wrong with healthcare and how to fix it (27:25)

Connect with Patrick Kennedy: 

• Website
• Twitter

Want to learn more about Unite Us? Our newsletter comes out the first Wednesday of every month. It includes our latest happenings, network news, announcements, and ways to get involved with our movement to connect health and social care. Sign up here. Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and share your thoughts with us by emailing podcast@uniteus.com. 

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Episode Credits:
Produced by Ginni Media and Unite Us
Original music by Starling Studios

Copyright ©UniteUs2023 all rights reserved
All opinions expressed by podcast guests are solely those of the guest and do not reflect the opinions of Unite Us.

The post A Greater Obligation to Do More: A Conversation with Patrick Kennedy, Congressman, Advocate, Author appeared first on uniteus.com.

Today, there is an increasing demand for behavioral health services across the country and growing recognition that a holistic approach is needed to integrate behavioral health services with health and community services. 

In this webinar, you’ll learn about:

• The evolving policy and regulatory landscape (recent proposed changes to 42 CFR part 2)
• Best practices for integrating behavioral health, health and community services, 
• New innovations to empower communities and individuals across the country.

The post The Evolving Behavioral Health Landscape appeared first on uniteus.com.

I was 19 years old when I deployed to Afghanistan for my first combat tour. It was unlike anything I ever experienced—from going on convoy missions to being mortared on our fobs. Experiencing war up close and personal takes a toll on your mental health. In the early 2000s, mental health wasn’t widely discussed like it is today. In the Army, we had mandatory training on suicide prevention and behavioral health facilities, but there was an unspoken rule that, as a leader, seeking these resources could have a negative impact on your career. So, like many of my battle buddies back then, I sucked it up and drove on. As the military culture started to shift and more leaders spoke out about addressing mental health, it gave me the courage I needed to address my own anxiety and seek professional help, which helped me become more effective at my job and as a leader. 

Like many veterans, as my time ended with the Army, I started to think about life after the military. Where would I go? What would I do? How would my skill set translate to the corporate or private sector? What company could understand my military background and experience?

Then I came across Unite Us, a technology company that connected health and social care. After reading more about the company, I learned that the founders were also veterans. Was this destiny? A company whose values aligned with mine, who understood my skill set, and understood my background from the past 20 years of Army experience. I applied, and after a thorough interview process, I was offered the position of Communications Manager. I couldn’t have selected a better organization to join in my next chapter. Unite Us’ mission to advance health equity gave me purpose once again.

During my time here, I have seen Unite Us’ commitment to connecting veterans to health and social care firsthand, especially behavioral health services. In September 2022, Unite Us was selected among the top 30 finalists in Mission Daybreak, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grand challenge and call on innovators to develop suicide prevention solutions that meet the diverse needs of veterans. We are honored to join the innovation efforts to reduce barriers for veterans to access care.

How SDoH Tech Supports Veterans Through Whole-Person Care

Unite Us’ technology makes it easier for veterans to receive support before a mental health crisis occurs. Our solution, Saving Veteran Lives Through Empowered Community Networks, is designed to reduce veteran suicides by identifying the social care needs of veterans who present risk factors for suicide, enrolling those veterans in services, and ensuring those veterans receive services that meet their social care needs.

A holistic approach to mental health requires the ability to address both medical and social needs, and to integrate services that address a range of co-occurring needs. Data from our networks shows that the top three co-occurring needs for military members and veterans seeking mental and behavioral health services between 2017 and 2022 were 1) Housing; 2) Benefits Navigation; and 3) Employment. 

Addressing these needs takes an integrated, well-resourced team of collaborators. One of our partners, Cristina Garcia, Director of VPAN Los Angeles at Southern California Grantmakers, shared, “Unite Us has helped connect a disconnected society. Almost 60 veteran organization partners in LA County means that together we are accomplishing more, decreasing veteran issues that were once difficult to overcome. Unite Us is helping VPAN achieve our mission by bringing a coordinated network that provides us not only a platform but a new method of access to care for our veterans and families in LA County.”

Because network partners on the Unite Us Platform can securely screen for and easily coordinate care for additional and recurring services, the client never has to tell their story more than once. This results in significant efficiency improvements. In Georgia, Unite Us’ partnership with the Veterans Education Career Transition Resource (VECTR) helped drive a 300-percent reduction in the time it takes receiving organizations to close the case. We observe consistent results in serving our veteran population across the nation, with time to case closure more than halved on average from 2020 to 2022 in our networks.

Supporting Veterans on the Path to Self-Sufficiency

As someone who recently transitioned from the military, the information the Army provides you on your way out can be overwhelming. This can be difficult, and some veterans experience challenges reintegrating into civilian life—including employment, homelessness, and mental health-related needs. There are networks of resources available, like the ones Unite Us supports, to help veterans reintegrate and get on the path to self-sufficiency. 

I believe veterans and servicemembers are the backbone of our country. Celebrating their lives and sacrifices is an honor, and advocating for them is a privilege. Today, we commemorate the sacrifices of those who continue to carry the wounds, both mentally and physically, from their fight for the cause of freedom, liberty, and justice. I’m always aware of how fortunate I was to make it back home. Serving alongside some of the most heroic soldiers our country has ever seen, I am honored to be amongst the one percent that raised their hand to protect our nation’s freedoms. 

Learn more about Unite Us 

The post The Perfect Fit: A Veteran Who Found Her Place in the Civilian Workforce appeared first on uniteus.com.

“The opioid crisis has helped fuel a 51% increase in the combined death rate from drug overdoses, alcohol abuse, or suicide between 2005 and 2016” – The Commonwealth Fund

Drug overdoses are now the number one cause of accidental deaths for people under 50 in the United States, yet we still hesitate to talk about how addiction actually works and learn about effective methods of prevention. We want to challenge the way you think and talk about addiction.

Drug Dependence vs. Drug Addiction

What is drug dependence? Drug dependence is typically defined as what causes tolerance and withdrawal—the physical effects. Addiction is characterized by having more of a mental component. Dependence is physical; addiction is neurological. They’re independent of each other. It’s possible to be dependent on a drug without being addicted (think caffeine withdrawal). Getting a headache after skipping your morning coffee doesn’t mean you’re addicted to caffeine. Interestingly, you can also be addicted to a drug without being physically dependent on it. Cocaine addiction causes no major withdrawal symptoms, but still prompts compulsive behaviors and neurological changes—similar to gambling or internet addictions. With addiction, there are changes occurring in the reward pathway of your brain that cause compulsive drug-seeking behavior. These are not the same as the brain changes that cause tolerance or withdrawal.

What’s important to note is that drug dependence often leads to addiction. That being said, most opioid users do not become addicted to opioids. Understanding the distinction in the language is important in understanding treatments, symptoms, and risks.

Changing the Way We Talk About Drug Addiction

The bottom line is that words can have tremendous power. We all have inherent biases, so changing the way we think and talk about addiction will require active, intentional learning and self-awareness.

The feelings of fear, shame, and guilt that phrases like “once an addict, always an addict,” “addictive personality,” or “they did this to themselves” are just barriers to people seeking out possibly life-saving treatments. This perspective of people with substance use disorders as being “drunkards” or “junkies” can be hugely detrimental to their health and life outcomes, and what may seem like insignificant remarks can have cascading, damaging effects. Addiction should not be treated as a choice, but rather a result of genetic, environmental, and social factors.

A Holistic Approach to Substance Use Disorder

People with addictions often disproportionately struggle with receiving fair medical coverage and legal rights. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, over 65% of the 2.3 million people incarcerated in the U.S. met the criteria for a substance use disorder, yet only 11% of those received treatment in 2010 (CASA). Another study found that over 80% of people who are convicted for heroin trafficking are either black or Latino, even though whites use opioids at higher rates than those groups (Scientific American).

Additionally, research shows that many of our drug laws were enacted in a series of “racist panics that had nothing to do with the relative harms of actual substances (Columbia Journalism Review).” Not to mention that about 50% of people who have a substance use disorder will be diagnosed with another mental illness at some point in their lives (National Institute on Drug Abuse). People with a history of addiction in general have a harder time getting jobs and getting well-paying jobs. These statistics are striking. Issues as multi-layered and overlapping as these beg for complex solutions. Addiction needs to be treated as a public health problem, not a crime.

In an episode of What Unites Us, Patrick Kennedy, a politician and mental health and substance use advocate, shares:

“The pathology of isolating yourself and keeping these things secret is what makes depression, anxiety, and addiction so much worse—which is why we only treat these illnesses as a stage four illness rather than treat them like cancer where we try to screen for stage one cancer. We should be screening for stage one depression, anxiety, addiction. We would change the whole paradigm of our mental health and addiction movement if we really saw this as a public health issue where prevention was the answer.”

Support, Connection, and the Road to Recovery

How can you make a difference? Start by understanding the difference between drug dependence and addiction so that you can appropriately talk about it, ask informed questions, and address it in your inner circles. Support those who you know are grappling with addiction. Recognize that having a treatment center or sober living home in your neighborhood is not undesirable. Combat the loneliness that addiction can cause by speaking up. Advocate for those who are struggling. Share your own stories. Connection is a critical component of recovery. We need to support our neighbors.

Big change needs to start small, but let’s not lose sight of that big change.

Looking for help? Call SAMHSA’s National Helpline.

Interested in learning more about taking a holistic approach for people with substance use disorders? 

Watch Our Webinar

The post The Difference Between Drug Dependence and Addiction (and Why Those Words are Important) appeared first on uniteus.com.

That’s why state and local leaders have put forth policies and innovative pilot programs designed to transform access to behavioral health services by meeting people where they are – in communities. Reforms include enabling proactive community and home outreach; expanding the reach of mobile health clinics; embedding care in school settings; and establishing mobile crisis teams of behavioral health specialists who are equipped to respond to 911 calls.

The populations most in need of behavioral health services also tend to be those the least likely to interact with a behavioral health clinic, or feel comfortable bringing up mental or behavioral health issues in a traditional health care setting. Community-centered care not only provides easier access, it also makes early identification and treatment of unmet needs possible, so people receive treatment before more serious behavioral health conditions develop.

Unite Us Meets the Moment

Now is the time for governments, health systems, plans, and communities to build delivery systems that effectively and equitably serve all individuals, taking advantage of new streams of federal funding dedicated to behavioral health reform. Plus, new regulations have expanded coverage for telehealth services, allowing health plans to reimburse for telehealth consultation for behavioral health services. These changes have improved access to care in urban and rural settings and reduced the stigma associated with seeking behavioral health services, particularly for historically marginalized racial and ethnic minorities and LGBTQIA+ communities.

At Unite Us, we’re meeting this moment of increased awareness and greater opportunity by improving equitable access to behavioral health services, redefining the delivery of integrated care and improving health and well-being. Ours is the only end-to-end social care solution poised to take full advantage of these sea changes in the approach to the current gap in accessing behavioral health services.

Unite Us is committed to advancing initiatives that improve access to behavioral health care and related social services. We’re supporting several innovative initiatives with partners across 42 states. Here are just two examples:

In Colorado, we partner with the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD). They work to bridge co-occurring mental health and unmet social and physical health needs through care coordination. MHCD has seen the direct, positive impact of using Unite Us’ technology infrastructure:

“Our staff are excited about using the Unite Us Platform because we’re seeing results. One staff member was working with a client that we serve and they were able to get them resources within 24 hours. That’s usually unheard of in other systems and those are the type of results that we want to see that meets our driving need of getting access to care for the people that we serve.” – Alires Almon, Director of Innovation at MHCD.

We partner with the Virginia Mental Health Access Program (VMAP), which works to connect children and adolescents to mental health services across the state.

“By becoming a part of the Unite Virginia network, VMAP is able to increase access to necessary mental health care services for Virginia providers and their pediatric patients. The Unite Us Platform is a huge step towards meeting VMAP’s mission of helping health care providers take better care of children and adolescents with mental health conditions. We are so excited to be a part of this important program and look forward to seeing the Unite Virginia network support not only providers using VMAP, but also the greater Virginia health care community at large.” – Ally Singer Wright, Program Director at VMAP.

A new wave of funding. Are you next?

At Unite Us, we’re ready to work with more partners interested in creating an equitable, accessible, and effective system for behavioral health care. Below are just a few federal funding opportunities and initiatives that provide grants to state agencies, local behavioral health providers, and community organizations. Unite Us encourages our partners to explore these opportunities.

Federal block grants will distribute $3 billion in American Rescue Plan funding — the largest aggregate amount of funding to date for the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) Program and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) Program.

Ongoing federal initiatives provide grants and funding to local providers and share a common goal of improving behavioral health delivery. Three examples;

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) initiatives increase access to trauma-informed services for children and families who experience traumatic events.
• SAMHSA’s Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) connects school-aged youth and families with behavioral health needs to appropriate services.
• The Federal Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) Model establishes integrated models of care through care coordination and increases community access to behavioral health services.
• The U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)’s Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) Program integrates pediatric primary care with behavioral health care via referrals and telehealth.

Many innovative solutions within healthcare have struggled to fully incorporate mental health treatment and providers. Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and the broader movement to value-based care are solutions that have tried to address this. Now, we see the same pattern, as whole-person care supported by social care referral platforms becomes more of a standard practice. Unite Us seeks to ensure that the networks we power are comprehensive and can serve the many needs of entire communities. We know that together, we can build and sustain a robust, integrated public health infrastructure that meets individuals where they are and promotes increased access to and coordination for mental health services.

Join the movement today!

Request a Demo

The post Meeting the Moment: Expanding Access to Behavioral Health Care appeared first on uniteus.com.

As part of a person-centered approach, networks powered by Unite Us coordinate the provision of services for mental, physical, and social health needs, to provide wraparound care for every person. Because of the Unite Us Platform, an individual only has to tell their story once, which is particularly important if they are in crisis.

According to the World Health Organization, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In the United States, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimates that 57% of individuals with a mental health diagnosis go untreated. Since mental illness often co-occurs with other health issues and social needs, the cost can be personally devastating for individuals and their families, as well as for society. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these struggles for millions of Americans.

The power of data to understand the problem and create solutions

The data generated by networks powered by Unite Us enables us to pull critical insights for our partners to understand not only the needs of their communities but the outcomes and impact of their coordinated efforts. Using the aggregate, de-identified data generated by these networks, we can answer many important questions in real-time. For example: what is client demand for services and how well are providers able to meet those needs? What needs are most likely to reoccur or appear together? Do we see differences in need, support provided, and outcomes across clients of different and intersecting identities?

The picture of mental health across our networks

Mental/Behavioral Health is one of the most common (7th) reoccurring needs served through the Unite Us Platform, meaning individuals are commonly connected to Mental/Behavioral services more than once throughout their care journey. Having a coordinated network allows for a no wrong door approach to catch each of these times of need in a person’s care journey.

Similarly, a person facing one social care need, more often than not, is experiencing one or more co-occurring needs. Being able to address these co-occurring needs through your organization or easily referring to a network partner lessens the burden on the client. In our networks, we see these top 3 co-occurring needs for clients with a Mental/Behavioral Health need:

Unite Us’ approach to removing client burden and driving outcomes

At Unite Us, we know that barriers to mental health care and substance use services include access and affordability, lack of education about mental illness, and stigma. To address these challenges, we put the client at the center of their care, coordinating all mental, physical, and social health needs on a trauma-informed continuum of care.

Hear more about our approach in this new video featuring Alires Almon, Director of Innovation at the Mental Health Center of Denver, and our Virginia partners Dr. Patty Ferssizidis, Assistant Director, A Division for Advancing Prevention and Treatment, and Summer Jeirles, Manager, Behavioral Health Integration at Valley Health Behavioral Health Department.

“Instead of relying on the client to follow through on all this, when they are worried about if they’re going to eat that day, when they’re concerned about the weather and they have no shelter, trying to rely on them to do that is just too much. And so when we let them know ‘I’ve done the legwork for you and someone’s going to be reaching out to you,’ just the efficacy of that process makes it so much easier. This platform is so easy.”

– Summer Jeirles, Manager, Behavioral Health Integration at Valley Health Behavioral Health Department

Visibility and investment for the future

As the mental health crisis grows and gains visibility, state and federal governments are investing in solutions to address social determinants of health and increasing flexibility in spending to ensure outcomes. President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) presents enormous opportunities for improving community access to mental health and substance use services. The legislation allocates an additional $1.5 billion in both the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) and the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG), which provide direct funding for community-based organizations, community mental health centers, substance use providers, and other related organizations. Beyond these block grants, the ARP also includes $80 million in community-based funding which the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will distribute for behavioral health and substance use disorder services.

These investments are closely aligned with Unite Us’ mission to improve community health. We are committed to supporting our community partners as we build critical public health infrastructure together.

Request a Demo

The post Mental Health Awareness Month: Meeting the Unprecedented Need appeared first on uniteus.com.

Mental Health and Substance Use Programs – How Unite Us Supports from Unite Us on Vimeo.

The post Mental Health and Substance Use Programs – How Unite Us Supports appeared first on uniteus.com.