A Multi-channel Web Platform to Provide Holistic Care to Underserved Consumers

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Significant obstacles exist in care delivery that prevents meaningful utilization of mental health services by consumers who experience health disparities Specifically individuals facing isolation due to linguistic literacy or cultural bariers often face challenges in procuring mental health care These challenges are in part due to the medical and mental systemsandapos present lack of integration and failure to take into account the importance of social cohesion when delivering care Addressing these gaps in the healthcare industry the objective of this proposal is to create a dynamic communication platform that uses multi channel message delivery to i provide culturally competent language concordant mental health content to consumers facing health disparities ii empower providers to integrate medical and mental health care both through shared message delivery and integration with electronic medical record EMR systems and iii strengthen social cohesion by connecting isolated clients not only to physical and mental health message campaigns but also to community resources and peer supports critical to augmenting social well being The goal of Phase I is to create a series of depression and anxiety Messages and to assess whether they influence health knowledge and attitudinal change among mental health consumer participants and the suitability of the proposed technology for mental health and social service sectors During Phase II we will build the fully functional web based communication platform which will include a peer counseling function and integration with EMR systems We will populate the integrated system with several hundred mental health and social support audio text and email messages in English Spanish and Mandarin The project will culminate in two six month summative evaluations with institutional and community service providers to assess the effectiveness of the proposed technology in increasing access to information about mental health and social supports improving service and clinical outcomes and enhancing quality of care and social cohesion for consumers who face disparities in access to mental health services Multi channel communication platforms are a promising solution to the problem of uneven access to medical mental and social services experienced by those experiencing health disparities The proposed project the development of an integrated web based communication platform targeting mental health and social cohesion will employ messaging including Interactive Voice Response IVR text and email to i disseminate language concordant culturally competent messages ii facilitate care integration between medical mental health and social service fields and iii enrich social cohesion by connecting clients to providers between appointments to community resources and to peer supports Providing such personalized accessible care will ameliorate the present knowledge and access gaps among isolated and underserved communities and will improve health outcomes by connecting individuals to critical health services and community support networks