Name
From Zip Code to Care Code: A Community-First Answer to Equitable CoCM Delivery
Description

Healthcare equity is not just about what care exists; it is about where it exists and who it reaches. This session challenges the field to shift from asking "where can we afford to be?" to "where are we needed most?" Drawing on a real-world, multi-site partnership between Dignity in Healing Collective, Helios Behavioral Health, and Mirah, we present a community-first framework for scaling the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) with fidelity across diverse landscapes and demographics. Attendees will explore strategies for upskilling local workforce members to serve their own communities, and leave with a practical blueprint for designing growth plans that prioritize patients who have historically been excluded from traditional mental health systems.

Speakers
Jessica Lyons, MS, LMFT
Julie Luzarraga, LICSW, DCSW
Anaja Arthur, MPH
Tyrena Lester, LICSW
Co-Authors
Johnathan Giles, LCMHC, Co-Executive Director, Dignity in Healing Collective, Omaha, NE. Johnathan@dignityinhealing.org
Jill Donelan, PsyD, VP of Clinical Operations, Mirah, Boston, MA jill.donelan@mirah.com
Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Collaborative Care Model of Integrated Care, Rural, Workforce development
Session Type
Concurrent
Objective 1
Identify strategies for expanding CoCM implementation into underserved urban and rural communities, with a focus on shifting organizational decision-making from resource availability to community need.
Objective 2
Implement at least two "teach it" workforce development approaches that upskill local community members to deliver high-fidelity behavioral health care within the CoCM framework in their own communities.
Objective 3
Design a community-centric CoCM growth plan that centers access for patients who have been historically excluded from traditional mental health systems, using data and lived experience to guide prioritization.
Content Reference 1

American Psychological Association. (2022). Demographic Characteristics of the Psychology Workforce and Implications for Diversification. APA Center for Workforce Studies.

Content Reference 2

Health Resources and Services Administration. (2022). Behavioral Health Workforce Projections, 2020-2035. HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis.

Content Reference 3

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2023). Addressing the Behavioral Health Workforce Crisis: State and Local Strategies. SAMHSA Publication.

Content Reference 4

Sun, C., et al. (2023). Low availability, long wait times, and high geographic disparity of psychiatric outpatient care in the US. General Hospital Psychiatry, Volume 84.

Content Reference 5

Powers, D. M., et al. (2020). Rural clinics implementing collaborative care for low-income patients can achieve comparable or better depression outcomes. Families, Systems & Health, 38(3)