Assessment and staff perceptions of mental health and substance use disorders integration in primary care

Background Due to health-care reform, the integration of behavioral health (substance use disorder and mental health) services into primary care settings has taken on increased urgency. Project Care is an innovative county-funded integration initiative in Kern County, California, which uses a screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) model to build capacity for behavioral health care in two federally qualified health centers and one county medical center’s outpatient clinic. Implementation strategies included funding to implement SBIRT reimbursement for the provision of two services (e.g., physical and mental health) in the same day, monthly provider meetings, trainings, technical assistance, and feedback in the form of evaluation reports to participating sites. As part of the program, assessments were conducted to measure integration progress.