Bi-State Primary Care Association & New Hampshire Behavioral Health Association

Bi-State Primary Care Association (Bi-State PCA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization promoting access to effective and affordable primary care and preventive services for all, with special emphasis on underserved populations in Vermont and New Hampshire. Bi-State PCA’s New Hampshire membership includes 14 Community Health Centers (CHCs), delivering primary care at over 55 locations for 120,000 patients.

The New Hampshire Community Behavioral Health Association (NHCBHA), is a 501(c)(6) membership-based nonprofit that exists to ensure the sustainability of its members for the provision of a broad array of outpatient community mental health services across New Hampshire. NHCBHA is the association of New Hampshire’s 10 designated Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs), which serve approximately 50,000 patients.

The team’s collective action project will focus on improving the integration of primary care and behavioral health across and between their networks of community health centers and community mental health centers. The project team will build upon and utilize lessons learned from state initiatives, such as New Hampshire’s 1115 DSRIP waiver, to remove barriers to, and implement best practices for, improved integration.

The key objectives of the project include: 1) Engaging patients in creating a more integrated and equitable system of care; 2) Tracking and incorporating the social determinants of health; 3) Improving integration through enhanced communication and teamwork; 4) Creating sustainable funding; and 5) Reducing barriers to data sharing. The team is committed to incorporating meaningful consumer input and addressing racial equity throughout the project by including consumers in the development and implementation of its project. In addition, the team engaged the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Office of Health Equity in the development of its proposal and will continue to consult the office on matters of racial equity throughout the course of the project.