Metro East Sun

SIHF Healthcare issued the following announcement on Feb. 1.

Beginning February 1, SIHF Healthcare and LifeLinks, a not for profit outpatient community mental health center based in Coles County, will offer comprehensive integrated physical and behavioral healthcare services in Olney.

The program, Promoting Integration of Primary and Behavioral Health Care (PIPBHC), is designed to address screening, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of mental health and co-occurring physical health conditions and chronic diseases. PIPBHC team members will include behavioral health counselors, registered nurses, and the patient’s primary care provider.

“We are excited that our agency is one of only three within the State of Illinois selected to participate in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant,” noted Lynette Ashmore, LifeLinks’ Executive Director. “The PIPBHC team will work with patients to provide counseling, wellness activities, and health education, in one location. SIHF Healthcare staff will be able to just walk a patient over to our provider for an introduction - the process will be seamless.”

Larry McCulley, President and CEO of SIHF Healthcare, a community-based Federally Qualified Heath Center (FQHC) network serving patients throughout south central and southwestern Illinois, is equally excited about PIPBHC. “Our goal is to provide the community with an integrated delivery opportunity to meet all of their medical and behavioral health needs.” PIPBHC expands on services currently available at the SIHF Healthcare health center in Olney.

“We are pleased to offer medical services to the whole family in a single location,” explained Taja Wheeler, Health Center Manager. “We have family and internal medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics, and behavioral health services as well as an in-house pharmacy. The addition of LifeLinks means we can meet additional needs of our patients.”

For more information or to schedule an appointment at SIHF Healthcare in Olney, call 618-395-5222.

Original source can be found here.