Access to Behavioral Health Taskforce
Status Report
CHARGE:
The 19 member taskforce is appointed by the St. Louis Regional Health Commission to spend nine months in 2009
to generate recommendations that address structure and financing issues that restrict access to behavioral health
services. The taskforce will complete the following action steps to inform their recommendations:
 Assess the data collected and input gathered from over 300 stakeholders and 80 organizations in the
region during the past three years of the Eastern Region Behavioral Health Initiative.
 Confirm guiding principles to frame current and future implementation efforts to expand access to
behavioral health services with emphasis on the uninsured and underserved individuals in the region.
 Create a blueprint for greater integration of community physical health and behavioral health services in
the region.
 Develop recommendations regarding the structure and financing of the system to remove systemic
barriers that currently restrict access.
PROGRESS TO DATE:
 Reviewed a summary of the data collected and input gathered during the past three years of the Eastern
Region Behavioral Health Initiative.
 Confirmed five focus areas for recommendation development to address structural and financial barriers
to access behavioral health services:
1. Integration of physical and behavioral health services
2. Psychiatric Acute Care Transformation
3. Existing service area structure
4. Funding
5. Provider Capacity
 Approved guiding principles for the framing of current and future implementation efforts to expand
access to behavioral health services with emphasis on the uninsured and underserved individuals in the
region.
 Addressed national and state work on integration to inform the development of a blueprint for
integration of physical and behavioral health services in the Eastern Region.
 Adopted the Four Quadrants Model as the integration model for the Eastern Region.
 Addressed regional planning efforts regarding Psychiatric Acute Care Transformation (PACT), including the
transfer of acute psychiatric inpatient services and the implementation of a regional access center.
 Addressed the existing service area structure for administrative agents and the role of affiliates in the
Eastern Region.
 The St. Louis Regional Health Commission has approved the 14 recommendations on the integration of
physical and behavioral health and the 2 recommendations on PACT.
NEXT STEPS:
The Task Force approved draft Existing Service Area Structure recommendations for review by the various RHC
advisory boards and committees. At the last two meeting s of the Task Force, October 13 and November 9, the
team will review and approve draft recommendations on funding and provider capacity for review by the RHC
advisory boards and committees.
TASK FORCE MEMBERSHIP:
Stakeholder Group Representative
RHC Chair
Alcohol & Drug Provider
Affiliate Provider
Missouri Department of Mental Health
Hospital Representative
St. Louis County
St. Louis City
County Rep. outside St. Louis City/County
State of Missouri
Community Member
Community Member
RHC Comm. Ad Board Representative
Community Member
RHC BH Ad Board Representative
Community Member
Provider Services Ad Board Representative
Consumers and Family Members
Psychiatrist
Community Mental Health Center
Federally Qualified Health Center
Referring Primary Care Physician
Referring ED Physician
Individual
Peter Sortino, Commission Chairman
Azi Hakim, Queen of Peace
Mike Keller, Independence Center
Laurent Javois, MO Dept. of MH
Pat Komoroski, SSM Healthcare System
Doris King, Family MH Collaborative
Valerie Russell, Health & Human Services
Laura Heebner, Crider Health Center
Commissioner Joann Leykam
Betty Sims, Retired State Senator
Anthony Davis, MO Dept. of Corrections,
Board of Probation and Parole
Joe Yancey, Community Alternatives
Denise Thurmond, Psychotherapist, Private
Practice
Jackie Lukitsch, NAMI St. Louis
Dr. Roy Wilson, St. Louis Psychiatric
Rehabilitation Center
Tim Swinfard, MO Coalition of CMHCs
Joe Pierle, MO Primary Care Association
Dr. David Schneider, Saint Louis Univ. Family
and Community Medicine
Dr. Robert Poirier, Barnes-Jewish Hospital