Information technology experts and behavioral health professionals recently gathered to establish a collaborative vision to address Nebraska’s behavioral health care needs.
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At a meeting earlier this year, UNMC partnered with the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE) for guidance on the development and implementation of the new Nebraska Behavioral Health Education Center (NeBHEC). From left: College of Medicine Dean John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., NeBHEC Interim Medical Director Susan Boust, M.D., WICHE President David Longanecker and WICHE Vice President of Behavioral Health Dennis Mohatt, who serves as interim administrative director of the NeBHEC. (Andrew E. Nelson, UNMC public relations) |
The NeBHEC — funded earlier this year under LB 603 — addresses the mental health professional work force shortage across the state of Nebraska.
Although, several UNMC disciplines work on projects designed to deliver behavioral health care and expand the workforce in the state of Nebraska, there is no consistency in the health information technologies and programs used across these programs, said NeBHEC Interim Medical Director Susan Boust, M.D. Instead, each group has developed its own information technology solution.
“The first step is to get everyone together and see where collaboration can begin,” Dr. Boust said.
More than 30 key participants from 17 different departments within UNMC participated in the summit including the:
- College of Nursing;
- College of Public Health;
- Department of Psychiatry;
- Department of Family Medicine;
- Creighton University Department of Psychiatry;
- Munroe-Meyer Institute;
- UNMC Information Technology;
- The Nebraska Medical Center – International Affairs; and
- The Nebraska Medical Center – International Health Care Services.
Dennis Mohatt, vice president of behavioral health for the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE), facilitated the discussion, along with Louis Fox, M.D., vice president, Technology & Innovation, WICHE and a senior adviser, Global Information Technology, Duke University.
Participants focused on how to:
- Increase collaboration;
- Leverage resources;
- Examine barriers and challenges; and
- Develop solutions to use health information technology services to address behavioral health care resource issues.
“We need cost effective development and deployment of resources across programs to have a larger impact on behavioral health care across the state of Nebraska,” Dr. Boust said.
For more information, or to get involved with the effort, contact Dr. Boust or Michael Rice, Ph.D.