Integrated Care: The Collaborative Care Approach At Cherokee Health Systems

Cherokee Health Systems in Tennessee is a pioneer in the use of a collaborative approach to integrate physical and behavioral health care. They are a federally qualified health center (FQHC) and approach integration through a “behaviorally-enhanced primary care model.” Integration of care has been the norm at Cherokee since 1984 and they found that primary care is the best platform for community mental health programming as it helps to overcome the stigma that consumers might have in seeking specialty mental health treatment. They’ve seen that comprehensive care delivered in collaboration with a medical provider also helps to improve . . .