What is integrated care?
An integrated health care model supports clinicians and systems of care in their efforts to systematically coordinate general and behavioral health care. Combining behavioral health, substance abuse, and primary care services often proves most effective when caring for all individuals, especially those with multiple health care needs.
Current national objectives to increase access, improve health outcomes, and contain costs reflect the integrated care model and require structural changes at a health-system level.
The UCLA Division of Population Behavioral Health is committed to advancing the successful implementation of effective population-based behavioral health, including integrated behavioral health promotion, prevention, and health care treatment. Its programs are designed to encourage and support enhanced patient experience, improve population health, and facilitate reductions in per capita cost.
Through its partnerships, the Division works to anticipate policy issues and identify solutions to positively influence access, regulation, and optimal clinical outcomes for patients and their families. The Division also includes the UCLA Population Behavioral Health Training Institute, which provides access to an online learning center for large-scale dissemination and support of evidence-based practices inside the UCLA Health System and within community systems of care. The Training Institute will coordinate with existing efforts to expand research and training fellowships and practicums for psychiatry, psychology, and social workers. Additionally, it will provide community education to support best practices for integrated behavioral health prevention and care within external systems of care, including peer and paraprofessional training.