Introduction: It is critical that we strengthen the ability of the behavioral health workforce to better manage the complex behavioral and physical health needs of people in medically underserved areas. Despite the knowledge that integrated care (IC) models improve patient outcomes and experience, provider satisfaction, and health care costs, educational and experiential training in IC is limited, limiting workforce capacity to deliver this care.
Method: Through the Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Rutgers University Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program (RUISTP), we partner with community-based primary care clinics to implement an interprofessional fellowship program for psychologists, social workers, physician assistants, and advanced practice nurses. The RUISTP simultaneously provides training and implements IC within these community-based systems. Our multiple-methods evaluation design examines data-driven indicators of feasibility, uptake, and program success during implementation and sustainability phases and assesses changes in organizational beliefs and practices, provider competencies, and service utilization throughout the project period.
Results: This article describes the significance and innovation of (a) an IC training program, (b) an implementation plan for sustained change within systems of care, and (c) evaluative methodology to assess and improve IC and SUD service delivery and training. These data will be used to create a template for other academic and health care systems nationally.
Discussion: It is the mission of this program to use an innovative training, implementation, and evaluation design to enhance IC and SUD services, bolster the behavioral health workforce trained to provide high-quality IC, and inform replications of this model in other geographic and clinical settings, particularly those in medically underserved communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).