Filling the mind-body gap: Fast-growing profession bridges mental, physical health needs

MI Kids Now is a student loan reimbursement program that aims to entice more people to stay in the mental health care field, particularly in underserved areas, by helping to pay down providers’ student loan debt. In 2022, the state paid $4.4 million to 315 mental health providers who carried an average of $314,000 in student loan debt per person.

The PhiferCares Clinic and pharmacy offers its employees and their families free healthcare and prescriptions. Phifer, a global manufacturing company, opened the clinic five years ago as a way to prevent medical bills from driving coworkers into debt and keeping them from retirement. This no-cost access to healthcare has helped 90% of Phifer employees hit their retirement goals, up from about 75% five years ago.

Some medical professionals and companies like Genemarkers are using pharmacogenomic testing (PGx) to test a patient’s genetic makeup to see how they may metabolize certain drugs. This process has been around for years but is starting to pick up speed in the mental health care scene to allow doctors to prescribe medications with greater accuracy.

LifeWorks NW is a non-profit that provides mental health services and treatment programs, like the Adolescent Day Treatment program, focusing on teens and young adults who show early signs of psychosis. Mental health professionals have been working with youth and their families for 60 years and have programs in almost every county across the state.

Los Angeles County’s Homeless Outreach & Mobile Engagement (HOME) program uses street psychiatry to get psychiatric medication to people experiencing homelessness in an effort to get them a step closer to housing. The HOME team has 223 full-time staff members and served 1,919 people last year, 22% of whom ended the year housed.

Latinx Talk Therapy offers bilingual mental health services in English and Spanish from Latinx therapists. These services help bridge the gap in accessing mental health care in Latinx communities. The Center opened in 2020 with a team of four therapists but has since grown to 50, as the services they offer have begun to gain more traction within the community.

Hospitals in New York improve healthcare quality and reduce medical costs by staying in frequent contact with patients requiring frequent or long-term care. Montefiore's Accountable Care Organization pulls in care providers from across the medical and social spectrum to improve patient health while curbing expenses.

Family Connects offers free home visits from trained nurses for families with newborns in an effort to increase access to care and reduce infant and new mother mortality rates. The nurses conduct a medical exam and then provide support, guidance and answer any questions the new parents may have. Family Connects found that mothers who participated in the program were 30% less likely to experience postpartum depression or anxiety.

United Diagnostics Services sets up screening events across the country to test firefighters for early signs of cancer, as it’s the leading cause of death among firefighters. The scan is easily accessible and covers nine parts of the body, and also screens for other health issues, like cardiovascular or other high-risk conditions, that need to be monitored by a doctor.

Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) centers provide government-funded medical care and social services to those aged 55 and above who qualify for nursing home care but can still live independently with some assistance. There are currently more than 160 PACE centers in 32 states. PACE centers are also gaining momentum as a nursing home alternative, as several states have begun passing legislation and making policy changes to allow Medicaid to cover PACE care.