WICHE Mental Health Report
November 05, 2007
Volume 1, Number 10
RECENT ISSUES: February 2007 . March 2007 . April 2007 . May 2007 . June 2007 . July 2007 . August 2007 . September 2007 . October 2007
In this Issue:
InFocus: Workforce
The April issue presented an overview of the three major barriers to effective mental health care in rural America, Availability, Accessibility, and Acceptability. These three barriers were described in detail in our June, August, and September issues. Here we revisit the four major components of workforce and will describe each of them in detail in the next few issues. While the information is initially redundant from the Availability issue, we re-present it here to orient the reader on workforce components in order to examine them in depth.
Ideally, an adequate workforce has the right number of experienced and skilled people in the right jobs at the right time to meet the present needs of the population. Establishing and sustaining an effective mental health workforce involves several components: A profile of present population and demographics; An estimation of the prevalence of mental illness; An analysis of the professional occupations available to serve the community; A picture of the higher education programs designed to supply well-trained professionals.
Population
The first aspect of workforce, population, can be analyzed from a number of different perspectives. For example, Hawai`i has an estimated 2006 population of 1,285,498. With a land area of 6,422.62 square miles, Hawai`i has an overall average of 188.6 persons per square mile. This average suggests that Hawai`i is an urban state. However, due to the unique geographical structure of the state, one island is urban, while the remainder are classified as rural. The Hawai`i Office of Rural Health uses the Research Service Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCA) to determine the urban areas of the state, shown in purple in the picture below. Given the geographic spread of the population, most of Hawai`i is rural.
Geographic barriers can isolate communities in almost any state. In order to access treatment in Hawai`i, it must be available on the island of residence or else a consumer will need to fly to another island to receive face to face services. This is an area where telehealth can prove invaluable to reduce transportation costs and time-consuming travel. In Alaska, many villages are isolated from larger urban areas due to lack of roads. In other states, mountains, large bodies of water, poor roads, and severe weather can isolate communities that would otherwise be considered adjacent to urban centers. Consequently, when examining the population density of a state, it is important to examine the functional distance between communities to determine the accessibility of the mental health workforce.
Thus far, we have examined population as if it were a static phenomenon. It is important to examine population trends to gauge the future of both the prevalence of behavioral health disorders and to determine the weak areas of the occupational future. The US Census publishes population projections for the nation out to the year 2050 and for individual states out to 2030. This allows future determination of potential gaps between the unmet needs of the population and the available workforce. In the next issue we will look at the calculation of the prevalence of behavioral health disorders based on the present and projected population numbers.
TOP OF PAGESelected Highlights of Recent Staff Activities
Christa Smith, Ph.D.
The WICHE Mental Health Program is pleased to welcome Christa Smith, Ph.D. as our new postdoctoral fellow through the University of Colorado, Health Sciences Center. Christa started our program in October and will be with us as a fellow for a full year. Christa’s current projects with WICHE focus primarily on integrated mental health care, mental health system improvements, and healthcare workforce development.
Christa attended the University of Denver, Graduate School of Professional Psychology where she studied health psychology. She has worked for the past five years in numerous medical settings educating and collaborating with physicians and other medical staff and providing psychotherapy for people with a wide range of medical issues. Her focus was the integration of mental health into medical health care settings with the understanding that there is no such thing as health without mental health, nor health without well-being. Her special interests include the study of well-being and happiness, mindfulness meditation, and stress management. She received her doctorate in August of 2007.
Christa grew up in Minnesota and moved to Colorado with her husband for their graduate educations. She plans to stay in Colorado for its superior weather and access to hiking. She has been an athlete all of her life, starting with gymnastics when she was six and moving on to diving in high school and college. She has always loved to be the woods and loves to hike and backpack, especially in the Utah dessert. Her other love is food, cooking, eating, reading about food, talking about food, etc., which happens to go well with her love of exercise! Christa can be reached via email at csmith@wiche.edu.
FYI...
Colorado - House Joint Resolution 1050:
In 2007, the Colorado Legislature passed House Resolution 07-1050 to create a Task Force for the study of behavioral health funding and treatment. The Task Force is charged with studying mental health and substance abuse services in order to coordinate the efforts of state agencies and streamline the services provided and to maximize federal and other funding sources.
Representative Anne McGihon is the Chairperson and Senator Betty Boyd and Senator Bob Hagedorn are the Vice-Chairpersons of the Task Force. Task Force members include a representative of the Governor’s Office, three members of the Colorado House of Representatives and three members of the Senate members, and representatives from key departments of state government. These departments are: Human Services; Health Care Policy and Financing; Public Health and Environment; Corrections; Public Safety; Education; and Law. In addition, the Task Force has created three subcommittees to assist it in meeting its charge. They are: Program; Budget and Funding; and Streamline and Coordinate Services.
A final report will be presented to the Health and Human Services Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives by January 31, 2008, regarding any findings and legislative recommendations. CSI (Center for Systems Integration) in partnership with NPM Consulting has been selected as the consultant team to assist the task force in conducting its duties including research and report preparation. CSI is also partnering with Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) on the national research component of the project. Speakers from across the country including several WICHE states have agreed to present to the Task Force to share their experiences and lessons learned.
If you would like further information please go to the Task Force’s website.
Webcast: Earn Free CMEs!
This is a free training that uses internet-based distance learning technology. You can attend from your home or office!
Bipolar Disorder: Considerations for Rural Primary Care Providers
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
12:00pm – 1:30pm Mountain Standard Time
(11am Pacific, 1pm Central, 2pm Eastern)
Dr. Michael H. Allen, MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Director Emergency and Consultation Psychiatry
Co-Director, Mood Disorders Program
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Denver, Colorado
This presentation featuring a national expert on bipolar disorder will cover the identification, treatment, and associated pharmacological implications related to this diagnosis in the primary care setting. While this presentation will not focus exclusively on providers in rural settings, the information will be useful to those practicing in more isolated settings and those communities with limited access to behavioral health resources.
Registration: No need to pre-register. Details will be provided in the December Newsletter.
Questions: Contact Mimi McFaul, Psy.D. via email (mmcfaul@wiche.edu) or by telephone at 303-541-0288.
You will be asked to complete a brief post-training survey in order to be eligible for free CME credits.
Funded by the Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)/Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Dr. Allen attended Florida State University, received his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and trained in psychiatry at the Institute of Living where he served as Chief Resident. He went on to serve on the faculty of Cornell and later NYU. While at NYU, he developed the model Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program at Bellevue Hospital, mentioned in New York Magazine’s “Best Hospitals in New York.” Currently he is director of the psychiatric emergency and consultation services and is co-director of the Mood Disorders Program at the University of Colorado. He is a principal investigator in the NIMH Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder and other studies in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; he has served as a research trainer internationally and recently received a NARSAD Independent Investigator award. He has served as president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry, chair of the APA Task Force on Psychiatric Emergency Services, panelist for the Expert Consensus Guideline for Bipolar Disorder and the Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative Depression Program, lead expert for the Expert Consensus Guideline for the Management of Behavioral Emergencies, member of the American College of Emergency Physicians clinical policy committee and reviewer for the Cochrane Collaborative. He is the author or editor of three books and associate editor of General Hospital Psychiatry. He is board certified in psychiatry with added qualifications in addictions.
Job Opportunities
Recent Job Announcements Webpage
On this page you will find recent job announcements pertaining to either the WICHE West or to rural mental health areas.
WICHE MH Personnel
Dennis Mohatt, MA, Mental Health Program Director
Mimi McFaul, Psy.D., Associate Director
Chuck McGee, MA, Project Director
Scott Adams, Psy.D., Senior Research Associate
Candice Tate, Ph.D., Research Associate
Fran Dong, Statistical Analyst
Jenny Shaw, Administrative & Project Coordinator
Tell Us How the WICHE Mental Health Program Has Impacted You
The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education is seeking your comments on how our services have affected mental health services in rural communities. Please send an e-mail telling how WICHE has influenced you to Candice Tate . We would also love to hear your nominations for promising rural practices. Feel free to also contact us with requests for state-specific rural assistance or to just ask us a question about our experience with rural mental issues and public policy.
Subscriber Services
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the WICHE Newsletter send an e-mail to Editor Candice Tate
