ODMH Director Requests Special Meeting with the Behavioral Health RoundTable

On February 13, Ohio Department of Mental Health Director Tracy Plouck and her staff met with the Behavioral Health RoundTable of Cuyahoga County at The Center for Health Affairs to discuss the framework for a medical home integrating primary and behavioral healthcare in the Northeast Ohio region.

Plouck became aware of the Behavioral Health RoundTable’s public-private collaborations in Northeast Ohio and asked to meet with this group, as well as a few other providers. The meeting focused on items including identifying eligible enrollees and provider capacity to serve Medicaid enrollees; drafting service definitions that may be implemented by existing partnerships; drafting an approach to financial modeling; and identifying next steps.

The Behavioral Health RoundTable of Cuyahoga County was formed in late 2007 when hospital leaders voiced their concerns regarding the extended wait times for psychiatric patients in hospital emergency departments. This group of leaders from hospital inpatient psychiatric units and emergency departments in Cuyahoga County work together to identify issues impacting the delivery of care for patients with behavioral health needs.

If you have questions about the meeting or about the Behavioral Health RoundTable of Cuyahoga County, please contact Pam Waite at 216.255.3650 or pamela.waite@chanet.org.