The Harborview Mental Health and Addiction Services (HMHAS) at Harborview Medical Center  received funding from King County Public Health, Behavioral Health and Recovery Division to develop a clinical model for integrated physical-behavioral healthcare with the goal of reducing cardio-metabolic risk. Cardio-metabolic risk factors (obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes) are more than twice as common among those with serious mental illnesses (SMI) and also account for 60% of the premature death among those with SMI.

Working with the Partnership for Innovation in Mental Health (PIMH) – a collaborative effort among King County, the UW Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the UW School of Social Work — HMHAS will use the funding to enhance the substantial integrated care components currently in place. Particular emphasis will be placed on population health management, treatment to target, and care coordination.

A specific goal is to provide a higher level of care coordination between HMHAS and the Family Medicine Clinic. Currently, these clinics reside in the same building, on separate floors. The clinics have many shared patients and an integrated EHR, which allows for streamlined communication and understanding of each patients’ healthcare goals and outcomes. A higher level of organization around tracking specific patients with specific health outcomes is included in “next steps” of integration between the clinics. Lydia Chwastiak, MD, through her work with the AIMS Center and Carolyn Brenner, MD, as HMHAS medical director are two faculty members leading this effort.