Hosted by the Master of Public Health program.

Americans spend over 300 billion dollars a year on mental illness.  Lost earnings due to mental health disability account for over half of this sum. The World Health Organization has stated that mental illnesses are the leading cause of disability in developed countries.  Currently, the mental health care sector is dominated by traditional medical models of psychiatric care with relatively little consideration of alternative approaches which have been shown to be less costly and more comprehensive than hospital or provider based care. Combining a long history of shortage of mental health care providers with the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, it is anticipated that the need for cost- and outcome-effective care will increase significantly. 

Self-management for other chronic medical conditions has been found successful as part of the total care needed; however, this same model of care for mental illness is not routinely practiced.  The WRAP® is an evidence-based non-medical model that compliments other mental health care, emphasizing the importance of individualizing recovery plans and encouraging daily use of the plan to maintain/retain a state of mental wellness.

Passageway, a non-medical interventional program that is evidence-based, uses a “Clubhouse model" approach to mental health wellness.  Currently there are over 320 centers worldwide that are driven by the holistic nature of this intervention.  Passageway is the only Iowa fully accredited Clubhouse model.

WRAP® was presented to volunteer members of Passageway as a pilot grant project to verify past studies that concluded WRAP® had significant positive improvements in overall functioning of the volunteers completing the training.

Speaker

Carolyn Beverly, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Master of Public Health; Medical Director, Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, Des Moines University
Full Biography