The Center of Excellence for Integrated Care blog will highlight areas of interest through a variety of perspectives with a focus on improving whole-person, whole-community, and whole-state health.
Rooted in Community
*For the month of May, honoring Mental Health Awareness, the Center of Excellence for Integrated Care, a program of the Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation, will host a series of blogs following Alex. These weekly journal entries from Alex begin in 2032 when Alex is 18 years old. Over the month Alex will reflect on the benefits gained from living in a system with preventive mental health policies as they grew up. *Week 3 flashes forward to Alex in their late 20’s and fully engaged in adult life in their community. Alex is employed and continues in a serious relationship considering future plans with that person. “Life is plugging along nicely. I haven’t gotten a chance to write in this journal as much as I would like. Life is busy now that I have gotten the promotion I was hoping for and Frankie and I […]
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Planting Seeds for Healthy Relationships
*For the month of May, honoring Mental Health Awareness, the Center of Excellence for Integrated Care, a program of the Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation, will host a series of blogs following the perspective of an individual who is found in the future but who was a child. We invite you to meet Alex, who will begin their journey at age 18 and over the month of May Alex will reflect on the benefits gained from living in a system with preventive mental health policies. *When we hear from Alex this week, they will have graduated from their undergraduate studies and been living in a medium size city after finding a job in their field. Alex has been in a serious relationship over the last six months and writes this journal entry reflecting on that relationship. “What an amazing few months it has been! Meeting […]
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Mental Health Awareness: Meet Alex
*For the month of May, honoring Mental Health Awareness, the Center of Excellence for Integrated Care, a program of the Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation, will host a series of blogs following the perspective of an individual who is emerging into adulthood and received preventative mental health services as a child. We invite you to meet Alex, who will begin their journey at age 18 and over the month Alex will reflect on the benefits gained from living in a system with preventive mental health policies. by Dr. Lisa Tyndall, LMFT, Dr. Amelia Muse, LMFT, and Mrs. Sara Herrity, MS, LMFT *Alex recently graduated high school and is a first-generation college student at a University approximately two hours from home. “Whew, the last few months have been an adjustment. Never having been away from my family longer than a week before, and not having them around […]
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From the Frontlines: Pandemic Suicide Awareness
From the frontlines: Thoughts from a therapist on Suicide Prevention Awareness Month during a pandemic by Dr. Rebecca Levy, LMFTA September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. In the past year and a half, we have experienced a great deal of tragedy, especially when considering the impact of this pandemic on mental health. Prior to the pandemic, researchers reported that approximately 50% of people who attempted to kill themselves went to their primary care doctor a week before their suicide attempt. With the impact of this pandemic, there was about a 50% increase in the use of a suicide hotline. As demonstrated by recent studies, COVID-19 has had a profound impact on mental health due to our increased isolation, stress, and fear of illness. As a mental health provider, I am left with many thoughts; but here is my take on some of the major considerations of dealing […]
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Press Release – July 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJULY 30, 2021 The Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation Secures Funding to Improve and Advocate for Behavioral Health Needs of North Carolina’s Children and Adolescents The new program, funded by The Duke Endowment, will be led by FHLI’s Center for Excellence for Integrated Care team CARY— The Center of Excellence for Integrated Care (COE) — a program of the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation (FHLI) — has received a grant from The Duke Endowment to lead a three-year program focused on child and adolescent behavioral health. The emphasis of the project is on advocacy for mental health check-ups for children, as well as on training for behavioral health professionals to provide pediatric and family assessments and interventions. “North Carolina’s health care workforce is doing amazing work every day with well-child exams and preventative services for children and adolescents,” said Dr. Amelia Muse, COE’s […]
Read More>>Oral and Behavioral Health Integration
Jamie: My background has always been in integrated care. From training through licensing, I lived, ate, and breathed integrated care! Coming from a rural community with limited healthcare services, behavioral health and physical health existing in the same space has always just made sense to me. But after a few years of my focus being on behavioral health integration in primary care, I became really curious about how these models of care were being implemented into completely different settings, like in allergist offices, pediatric obesity clinics, and complex care settings, for example. Again, this wasn’t surprising to me and just seemed like a common-sense way to improve patient care outcomes, as well as provider satisfaction. But I will never forget the day I saw a job posting for the role I have now! On one hand, I thought to myself, “Behavioral health integration at the dentist?! How […]
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