Introduction: The Interdisciplinary Integrated Primary and Behavioral Healthcare (I2PBH) Initiative currently trains University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) mental health graduate-learners to deliver Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) services through the evidence-based Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model in the RGV - a medically underserved Hispanic region along the US-Mexico border.

Methods/Project Description: The I2PBH initiative trains up to six graduate students each year from four mental health disciplines (Social Work, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, and Psychology) with an emphasis on basic as well as advanced theory and clinical skills in the PCBH model. Students also serve as Behavioral Health Consultants (BHC), working alongside healthcare professionals in a primary care setting, to meet set practicum/internship requirements. As BHCs, they work alongside healthcare providers and other health profession trainees in three Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Primary Care Clinics and one mobile clinic, located within rural counties of South Texas. Student trainees complete trauma-informed, culturally adaptive PCBH-focused coursework (e.g., Foundations of IBH; Clinical Skills for the BHC) in conjunction with advanced PCBH-oriented clinical supervision, digitally enhanced training - Mixed-Reality Simulations, and asynchronous distance learning via virtual platforms (e.g., Blackboard, Zoom). Based on a discipline-agnostic approach, this teaches PCBH-specific competencies while also providing concurrent, primary-care-focused clinical experiences, resulting in a behavioral health workforce that is primary-care ready and trauma-informed. Results/Outcomes: Utilizing the PPAQ subscales, significant changes in the adherence to essential behaviors when providing IBH services in a primary care setting has been observed [before training (M=46.25; SD= 9.74), after training (M=161.25;SD=7.89); {t(3)=-21.86, p<.001}]. Post-test mean is 161.25, indicating that trainees' scores are in the preferred level of model fidelity. Secondly, in the ISVS scale, the mean of trainee's total score is 133.56 out of 147, with an average mean score being 6.36 out of 7. Our post-tests demonstrate that after training, our participants have improved their interprofessional attitudes, beliefs, and competencies. Conclusions: The I2PBH initiative increases the presence of culturally concordant, primary care competent BHCs on the frontlines to function as primary care provider extenders for all behaviorally informed needs of patients, thus increasing access and delivery of whole-person care.