Veterans with certain medical conditions (e.g., chronic pain, cancer) are at higher risk for suicidal ideation and may have mental health comorbidities but are not actively engaged in mental health services. This presentation will describe an innovative five-year demonstration project implementing embedded behavioral health consultants in select VHA specialty medicine settings, focused on offering same day access to mental and behavioral health care, engaging more Veterans at the right time and in the right place to advance whole person focused integrated healthcare. Preliminary qualitative and quantitative data from the first year of program implementation will be shared, including discussion of enablers and barriers to integration and attention to observed differences by specialty medicine clinic setting. Appropriate for frontline staff, champions, and leaders, this content seeks to aide attendees in their own planning efforts to expand integrated care beyond the primary care setting.