Focus on Five
A
ccording to the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention, persons
with chronic mental
illness tend to die 20-25 years
earlier than the general
population. These deaths are
often due to a lack of engagement
in care of treatable medical
conditions.
Last June, the Health Department
added primary care services to its
Outpatient Mental Health
Services program in Libertyville to
provide its mental health patients
with easy access to medical care.
At this site, teams of medical and
Persons with chronic
mental illness tend
to die 20-25 years
earlier than the
general population.
Outpatient Mental Health Services, located in
unincorporated Libertyville, is providing mental
health patients with easy access to medical care.
mental health staff, including a psychiatrist, physician, medical nurse and
advanced practice nurse, meet regularly to discuss how to manage the care of
each of their patients. In this way, all providers are aware of the full spectrum
of care the patient is receiving and if a patient’s medication or condition
changes. These teams are geared to “Focus on Five.” They are particularly
working to prevent or address diabetes, hypertension, smoking, and obesity,
and to reduce the need for patients to make emergency room visits.
The site serves approximately 1,000 patients. Since June of 2015,
approximately 150 patients have received medical services, many of whom
had not received medical care for years. The program started at the
Libertyville site. it will be offered at other Health Department sites in the near
future.
Community Action Plan for Behavioral Health
Through nine months of collaborative planning among leaders from numerous local agencies and organizations, an
action plan for behavioral health in Lake County was developed under the direction and guidance of the Health
Department. Addressing areas of unmet need, the Action Plan identified 13 strategies with four areas: provider workforce, coordination/continuum of care, access and awareness. The plan was funded by the Healthcare Foundation of
Northern Lake County. In 2016, the community partners that created the plan will form action teams to start
prioritizing the strategies.
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