MENTAL HEALTH

ASSESSMENTS TO BE
COMPLETED AS PART OF
ROUTINE OUTPATIENT
CARE
BY: PATRICK BROWN

MENTAL HEALTH IN THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE

OF HEALTHCARE IN CHICAGO
- As a result of the ACA, more people have the ability to not only receive health insurance
benefits, people also have more choices and options as to where to seek care
- As a result of more citizens seeking care, mental and behavioral health has been found as a
high comorbidity among people
- Options to seek care are limited due to cuts in the state budget which forced the closure of
half of the mental health facilities in the Chicagoland area
- Due to these closures, citizens of Chicago now have fewer opportunities to seek care for
their illness

Mental Health Perspective in Chicago

Figures from The Chicago

Plan for Public Health System
Improvement

PROBLEM IN THE MENTAL HEALTH FIELD IN

CHICAGO
- Access to care and the stigma attached to mental illness are among two of the biggest problems
currently
- Presently, a near majority of inpatient psychiatric beds are located within for-profit hospitals
- This presents a challenge to the uninsured as many of these facilities will not accept patients who
are unable to pay
- This initiative focuses on instituting legislation mandating mental health screenings

MESSAGING APPROACH
- This initiative will need a calculated and relevant message in order to capture not only the general
public, but key stakeholders who will potentially oversee the initiative
- The message depicted here, will be a multi-faceted message containing education, information and
directions to seek care.
- It will also include details of potential legislation mandating a screening take place at every
outpatient visit
- The message will aim to educate the public about the stigma attached to mental illness, it will
provide information regarding symptoms, etc and will include the stakeholders involved in the
initiative

SOLUTION
- Legislation mandating screenings to take place
during all outpatient visits is a potential
solution
- This initiative will begin with a pilot program
that will take place in the areas with the
highest prevalence
- If this initiative is successful in these areas, it
will be instituted city-wide
- This initiative will need to be mandated by the
Chicago City Council in order to ensure
compliance

POLICY ENTRY POINT

- This policy, which will be initiated by the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Chicago
City Council, will be community based
- It will be initially piloted in communities in Chicago that have a higher demand for mental health
services
- If deemed successful, this initiative will then become common practice across all of Chicago to
ensure every citizen receives the same screening and treatment modalities for mental health
- This initiative can then become a part of Healthy Chicago, a program designed by the Chicago
Department of Public Health

CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE

- Mayor Rahm Emanuel
- Dr. Julie Morita- Leader of Chicago Department of Public Health
- Chicago City Council

KEY STAKEHOLDERS
- In order for this initiative to be successful, there are many stakeholders who need to buy-in to the
project
- Chicago Department of Public Health
- Chicago City Council
- Community Leaders
- Mercy Hospital and Medical Center
- UI Health
- CDPH community mental health centers

MARKETING THIS APPROACH

- Initially, social media will be a large part of the marketing approach for this initiative
- Facebook
- YouTube
- Twitter
- Television/radio commercials
- Newspaper ads
- Flyers, brochures
- Community meetings

RESOURCES
- City of chicago: Public health. (2015). Retrieved fromhttp://
www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdph.html
- University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System. (2015). Mile square health center.
Retrieved fromhttp://hospital.uillinois.edu/Patients_and_Visitors/Mile_Square_-_
Federally_Qualified_Health_Center.html
- Mercy hospital and medical center. (2015). Retrieved fromhttp://www.mercy-chicago.org/#
mercy-my-chart
- Chicago Department of Public Health. (2012).The chicago plan for public health system
improvement.(). Chicago: Chicago Department of Public health. doi:http://
www.cityofchicago.org/dam/city/depts/cdph/policy_planning/CDPHChicagoPlan20122016FINAL.pdf
- Hyde, P. (2012) A Public Health Approach to Prevention of Behavioral Health Conditions[PowerPoint
Slides] Retrieved from:http://store.samhsa.gov/product/A-Public-Health-Approach-to-Prevention-ofBehavioral-Health-Conditions/SMA12-PHYDE051512
- Marshall Williams, S., Chapman D., Lando, J.(2005) The Role of Public Health in Mental
HealthPromotion, National Center for Disease Control and Prevention (54)(34)(841842).http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5434a1.htm