Last Updated: Jun 23, 2022
On Wednesday, PAMED CEO & Executive Vice President, Martin Raniowski, participated in a press event to support Rep. Wendi Thomas as she introduced legislation to improve access to mental health care in Pennsylvania through the Collaborative Care Model, an integrated care model that can deliver timely psychiatric care in the primary care setting.
Raniowski said, “Providing funding for mental health care to happen in the primary care setting gives physicians and their teams the appropriate tools to address Pennsylvania’s mental health crisis on the spot. I applaud the efforts taken to make that happen.”
House Bill 2686 would create a grant program for small and solo practices to cover their Collaborative Care Model start-up costs, prioritizing those practices in rural and underserved areas of Pennsylvania. It would also establish a regional network of technical assistance centers to support promotion and implementation of the grants.
“With a growing youth mental health crisis and a growing rate of opioid deaths, we must look toward solutions that expand the capacity of our existing workforce,” Rep. Wendi Thomas said. “Better care coordination through the integration of mental health care in the primary care setting has been shown to improve patient access, outcomes and satisfaction.”
The bill has been referred to the Health and Human Services Committee, to stay up to date with the status of this bill, join our Be Heard Advocates community platform at www.pamedsoc.org/advocates .