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Primary Care Toolkit - 3) Developing Mental Health Partnerships

Outreach letter | SAFE-T Card
Behavioral Health Service FinderLink Locator
Telemental Health Guide | Veterans Resource Locator

The strong association between behavioral health problems and suicide suggests that the majority, though not all, of the patients you evaluate for suicide risk is also in need of mental health care. In many rural areas, accessibility to specialized mental health treatments is limited.   Regardless of how far away the nearest mental health care may be, ongoing communication between the primary care provider and mental health clinicians is a key to achieving treatment success. Time and time again, research has shown that the combination of therapeutic doses of psychoactive medication along with psychotherapy produces the best results. When comprehensive treatment is delivered to patients, recovery becomes an achievable goal in most situations.

Mental Health Outreach Letter
URL: http://www.sprc.org/library/MentalHealthOutreachLetter.pdf
To help build strong, collaborative partnerships between primary care and mental health practices, this Toolkit includes a draft Outreach Letter.  This letter may be modified to fit your personal style and circumstances and then sent to providers of mental health services to whom you expect to refer patients.

SAFE-T Pocket Card
URL: http://www.sprc.org/library/safe_t_pcktcrd_edc.pdf
This pocket card, designed by mental health experts for mental health professionals contains a guide for assessment of and intervention with potentially suicidal patients and may be included with the outreach letter.  You can download the card from this website; however, if you would like to order professionally printed and laminated, pocket-sized copies of the card, they are available at low cost from Screening for Mental Health, a partner of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. [http://www.sprc.org/library/SAFE-TOrderForm.pdf]

Behavioral Health Service Locators
URL: http://www.samhsa.gov/
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, provides online services to locate treatments for mental health and for substance abuse problems.  The service is also available by calling 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357).

Telemental Health Guide
URL: http://www.tmhguide.org/
In many remote areas of the country, mental health services are essentially inaccessible.  Many states and regions are establishing tele-mental health capacities to fill this gap in rural areas.  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have funded the development of a Web-based guide to walk communities through the steps to develop a tele-mental health service. 

Veterans Resource Locator
URL: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Veterans/ResourceLocator.aspx
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides care and services through a network of Hospitals, Community-based Outpatient Clinics, and Vet Centers.  Additionally, the VA has suicide prevention coordinators based at all its medical centers.  The location and contact information for these various services can be found through the VA service locator.

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Order a Toolkit Now: Hard copies of the toolkit are available for $25.00 through WICHE Mental Health Program. For more information, please contact Tamara DeHay at tdehay@wiche.edu (preferred option) or 303-541-0254.