UW Health is addressing the mental health crisis with a program called Collaborative Care, which connects patients with specialists sooner, according to WKOW. The program, started in 2018, is now available for people 12 and older at all UW Health primary care clinics statewide.
Specialists are often in high demand, and some patients have waited months to get an appointment in the past; however, Collaborative Care connects patients suffering from anxiety or depression with an embedded primary care provider, behavioral health clinician, and psychiatrist at their primary care clinic right away and in the same appointment. The patient can also obtain a prescription while there.
Patients can receive Collaborative Care for six months and, if further care is needed, will be referred to another specialist for long-term care.
