Opportunities and challenges of implementing collaborative mental health care in post-Katrina New Orleans

Abstract

Objectives: To describe participants' experiences with training on, and implementation of, a collaborative care mental health approach for treating depression and anxiety in post-disaster New Orleans.

Design: Healthcare providers from three organizations that participated in the Mental Health Infrastructure and Training (MHIT) program underwent semi-structured interviews.

Setting: The MHIT program provided training and clinical support to community-based agencies.

Participants: Social workers, care/case managers, primary care providers, and a psychiatrist that participated in trainings.

Intervention: The MHIT project consisted of a series of trainings and clinical support designed in collaboration with specialists from Tulane University, RAND/UCLA, the University of Washington, and local community organizations with the goal of creating local resources to provide screening, diagnosis, triage, and treatment for depression and anxiety.

Main outcome measures: Interview participants were asked to describe the impacts of training on the following areas: delivery of mental health services, ability to implement elements of the collaborative care model, care of clients/patients, and development of networks.

Results: Interview transcript analysis identified themes highlighting the opportunities and challenges of implementing a collaborative care model.

Conclusion: Implementation of a collaborative care model for treating depression and anxiety was possible in post-Katrina/Rita New Orleans and has potential for implementation in future post-disaster recovery settings.