Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii -- At many bases, one of the resources available through primary care clinics is the Behavioral Health Optimization Program. BHOP embeds behavioral health providers (typically psychologists or social workers) within the primary care clinic to deliver brief, behaviorally-based interventions that emphasize education, skill-building, self-management and home-based strategies. Treatment is typically limited to 1-4 sessions and initiated at the request of the PCM.
The primary goal of BHOP is to improve the quality of behavioral healthcare through:
◾Improved access to behavioral healthcare for all beneficiaries
◾Earlier identification of behavioral health needs
◾Delivery of interventions matched to the patient's level of need
◾Delivery of interventions in a setting that is more acceptable and less threatening to patients (i.e., access to behavioral health interventions outside of the Mental Health Clinic and without having a "mental health record.") These visits are considered primary medical care, not Mental Health care, and therefore do not present concerns over having a "mental health record"
◾Improved collaboration among patients and medical providers
BHC services are appropriate for use with a wide range of problems, to include, but not limited to:
◾Individuals experiencing the stresses of daily living (family conflicts, job stress, grief, or life-planning issues)
◾Those with mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, or anger issues)
◾Those with chronic medical conditions (pain, insomnia, diabetes)
◾Those desiring behavior change such as smoking cessation, havioral weight loss counseling or who need help starting an exercise program Persons with difficulty adhering to medical regimens
◾Persons who use medical services at an unusually high rate may be referred by their PCM to determine if there are behavioral or emotional needs that are contributing to the patient's presenting problem(s)
Service that are not appropriate for BHOP include:
◾Command-directed evaluations (CDE)
◾Individuals that are acutely suicidal/homicidal or psychotic are likely to need more intensive services, and are probably best managed through the Mental Health Clinic (during regular clinic hours) or through the Emergency Department (after hours)