Behavioral Health
Upcoming Behavioral Health Education Event
Registration is now open for the WCHQ Behavioral Health Assembly April 21 from 9 AM – Noon. View the agenda.
Speakers and topics include:
- “The Therapeutic Application of Psilocybin and MDMA-Assisted Therapy” presented by Dr. Christopher Nicholas. Dr. Nicholas is an Assistant Professor in the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. His research focuses on the clinical efficacy and therapeutic mechanisms of psychedelic and other psychoactive compounds for addiction (opioid and methamphetamine use disorders), trauma, chronic pain, and depression. Learn more here.
Dr. Nicholas provides specialty clinical services in the overlapping areas of chronic pain, addiction, and trauma and is a behavioral health supervisor for the UW Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program.
- “The Yin and Yang of Integrated Behavioral Health Integration” presented by Martha Saucedo, LCSW. Martha Saucedo graduated from UW-Madison master’s in social work program and obtained her LCSW in 2013 after immigrating from Monterrey, Mexico where she obtained a degree in psychology. She is currently a behavioral health consultant at Access Community Health Center and partners with a Latinx community liaison to understand mental health in the Latinx population. Ms. Saucedo was an assistant professor in the master’s program in social work in UW-Madison teaching, “Working with Race and Ethnic groups in Social Work” for the last five years. She is a strong advocate in the Latinx community working toward equality, educating the community and providing mental health services.
- “Support Programs to Promote Workforce Psychological Wellness” will be presented by Myra West, PsyD. Dr. West is a clinical psychologist and director of organizational trauma and resilience in Marshfield Clinic Health System. She specializes in severe stress and trauma reactions with a secondary specialization in organizational psychology, combining the two to promote wellness, resilience, and psychological health throughout the MCHS workforce.
Dr. West received doctoral and master’s degrees in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver, a master’s degree in Child and Family Studies and a postgraduate certificate in Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. West has provided services within hospitals, organizations, and private practice settings including a children’s hospital, Level One Burn and Wound Care Center.
For information on the Assembly, contact Mary Kay Fahey. To join the Behavioral Health Improvement team, contact Jen Koberstein.
Obesity
Education Series on Obesity Targets Employers
The WCHQ Obesity Advisory Group met in February with the sub-group working on payer and provider issues to begin designing an education series for employers in Wisconsin. The series will focus on providing medical information about obesity as a disease, treatment options and how employers can support employees who are seeking support for their condition. The series will feature presentations from payers that offer comprehensive obesity coverage. The group expects to launch this series in June.
On March 23, the Obesity Advisory Group will present a virtual education event from 12:00-1:30 PM, “Obesity Treatment: A Pathway to a Healthier Wisconsin.” Dr. Samantha Pabich, assistant professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Wisconsin. She will discuss “The State of the State’s Body Composition: Obesity and Diabetes in Wisconsin in 2022.” Dr. Melanie Smith, Board-Certified Family Medicine; Diplomate, Obesity Medicine, Advocate Aurora, will present “Treating Obesity to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk in Type 2 Diabetes.”
Following Dr. Smith’s presentation, WCHQ staff will describe measurement and other related activities that are supporting obesity improvement. Find more information and register here.
Disparities
Advancing Health Equity and Reducing Disparities
The Disparities Improvement Team met in February to finalize their charter and identify the roles, responsibilities and activities needed to advance health equity and reduce disparities in Wisconsin. Of particular focus was the need to involve stakeholders and communities that are experiencing disparities in this work. The Disparities Improvement Team will be reaching out to community groups and organizations to identify appropriate participants. In future meetings, the Improvement Team will participate in focus groups facilitated by the Health Innovation Program and WCHQ to learn more about the process for selecting interventions for addressing health disparities. The Team also plans to share current priorities and strategies implemented at member health systems as a starting point for identifying best practices in reducing health disparities.
For more information, contact Abbey Harburn.
Adolescent and Child Health
The Current State of Blood Lead Poisoning Testing in Wisconsin
The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program presented at the February meeting of the Adolescent and Child Health Improvement Team on the status of blood lead testing in Wisconsin. Routine blood lead testing is recommended between the ages of one and five depending on several risk factors, including city of residence, age of housing and Medicaid status. Prior to the pandemic, Wisconsin struggled to test every recommended child. In 2019, only 67.2 percent of one-year-old children enrolled in Medicaid were tested for blood lead levels, even though 100 percent of those children are required to be tested by Medicaid. As a result of the pandemic and a recall of point-of-care blood lead tests, Wisconsin has seen a drastic decrease in blood lead testing. To increase the rate of testing, the Wisconsin Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program sent Medicaid provider reports to every primary care provider in the state who saw at least five Medicaid patients in calendar year 2020. This data allows providers to compare themselves to the best performer in the state and provides a list of specific patients who were not tested.
To increase the rate of blood lead testing, the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program recommends that clinics take the following steps: audit office performance, reduce dependence on WIC clinics for lead testing, collect blood samples in-office and utilize electronic medical record prompts. The Adolescent and Child Health Improvement Team spent the February meeting reviewing strategies that members have implemented in their electronic medical records and within their clinics to increase the rates of lead testing. Strategies employed by members include electronic alerts based on risk factor and standing orders for blood lead testing. For more information or to participate in the Adolescent and Child Health Improvement Team, please contact Abbey Harburn.
Chronic Disease
Chronic Disease Learning Collaborative, Team-Based Care Workgroup
With nearly 1 in 2 US adults (47.3 percent) diagnosed with high blood pressure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes team-based care (TBC), medication therapy management (MTM), and self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) as effective ways to manage high blood pressure.
WCHQ member health systems have expressed interest in implementing or enhancing team-based care efforts as well as initiatives that support SMBP programs within their health systems. Several health systems are preparing SMART goals for an upcoming workgroup meeting March 28, 2022. WCHQ is facilitating this work and continues to support members as they collaborate to improve care for patients with high blood pressure.
To join the WCHQ Team-Based Care workgroup series, contact Sheryl Pierce.