Purpose

The NAMI Iowa Annual Conference aims to bring together Iowa providers, healthcare and social service professionals, advocates, peers, and interested family members for education on organizational leadership, cultural competency and diversity in health care, and new and emerging treatments and practices to treat mental illness in health care settings, as well as the evidence-based practices of peer support. 

Professional Need

According to a 2016 New American Economy study on the shortage of psychiatrists in the United States, nearly 60% of all counties in the U.S. have zero practicing psychiatrists. This figure climbs to 80% in rural counties. At that time, 8.7% of the U.S. population resided in rural counties, however rural counties were served by only 1.6% of practicing psychiatrists. The result is that on average, there are almost 47,000 rural residents per rural psychiatrist.1 This is especially pertinent in Iowa, where 78 out of 99 counties are rural,1 and all metropolitan areas are under 250,000 population.  

With the U.S. shortage of psychiatrists expected to continue through 2020, other providers are left picking up the bulk of behavioral health prescribing as well as care coordination in Iowa, especially in rural areas.  These include family practitioners, palliative care clinics, and emergency departments.  Additionally, other specialties including oncology and pain management are beginning to recognize the benefits of addressing behavioral health and the impact it has on patient outcomes. Many clinics provide depression screenings, but lack the training to make appropriate referrals or address the social determinants and behaviors caused by mental illness. 

In order for treatment reach its full potential in both the individual and rural populations with mental illness, both a knowledge of new and emerging treatments for difficult/resistant disorders and a population health management and care coordination approach are required to reach maximum effectiveness.  Person-centered treatment planning acknowledges the intersection of personal identities, circumstances, social determinants and systems in place contributing to individual and population health outcomes.  Since 2014, Iowa has become a health home state, delivering person-centered treatment planning and care coordination through Chronic Condition Health Homes (physical illness only), or Integrated Health Homes (behavioral plus physical health care coordination).  However, this model of care is still not widely known among providers, social workers, and family members outside those clinics and individuals receiving this type of care.

Learning Objectives

1. Create and implement a patient-centered treatment plan that takes into account intersecting/diverse identities, trauma history of the individual, and the role of the family and peers in self-advocacy.
2. Describe the risks of opioid abuse and co-occurring mental illness.
3. List risks and benefits of new treatments in practice and on the horizon for treatment-resistant depression.
4. Describe the benefits of integration of primary care and behavioral health care services, and describe the role of peer support in these services.

Agenda

Disclosures

Relevant to the content of this educational activity, the following individual(s) have no conflict(s) with commercial interest companies to disclose.

• Eric R. Barlow, MD, Speaker
• Joan Becker, Speaker
• Zach Blevins, Planning Committee Member
• Teri Brister, PhD, LPC, Speaker
• Jerry Foxhoven, JD, Speaker
• David Grove, PhD, Speaker
• Jackie Hammers-Crowell, CPSS, Speaker
• Peggy Huppert, Planning Committee Member
• Buffy Jamison, Speaker
• Joan Kitten, ARNP, Speaker
• Todd Lange, Speaker
• Aaron McHone, MBA, Speaker
• Mark Niciu, MD, PhD, Speaker
• Amy Shriver, MD, Speaker
• Heather Strachan, PRS, Activity Director
• Ryanne Wood, MA, Speaker
• Cindy Woodard, Planning Committee Member
• Ashley Vaala, Speaker