Community Bridges, Inc. (CBI) prides itself on being an integrated behavioral healthcare agency. But what does that mean for you?
In the simplest of terms, integrated care means that our staff works together to treat you or your loved one as a whole person. We coordinate all of your needs when it comes to primary care, substance abuse treatment and mental health. No more running around to different clinics and doctors. Our system allows us to take care of you in one place with one team.
We offer our services at what are called Patient Centered Health Homes (PCMH). No, these aren’t like assisted-living homes. It’s just a medical term for this type of integrated care.
You can find our PCMH in Maricopa, Pima, Gila and Yuma counties. At each of our 14 locations, we deliver physician and nurse practitioner services. This can mean getting something like an annual checkup or a flu shot. But we do so much more than that at a PCMH. CBI also offers crisis services, detox and support for those in need of housing. Once again, these services happen in one place with one team.
Jeremy Reed, one of our SMI Administrators, explains that it’s like a one-stop shop at a PCMH.
“You can have your physical and psychiatric health needs met in one day. You can see the psychiatrist and then the nurse practitioner or primary care physician in the very same day.”
Integrated behavioral healthcare also improves the quality of the care you receive.
“We don’t have to request various patient records from someone’s primary care physician. Our Primary Care Physician can walk right next door and address that with the patient’s outpatient team. He or she can have a discussion with the nurses or psychiatrist about medication; so physical health meds being prescribed don’t mess mental health meds,” Jeremy says. “I can’t tell you how many conversations are had walking down the hallway regarding a member’s care, creating a plan. The physical health and psychiatric teams collaborate to ensure everyone’s on the same page.”
Everyone at Community Bridges is committed to creating healthy communities one person at a time. By focusing on integrated care, we create a better healthcare experience for you and your loved one.