The Alabama Coalition for a Healthier Black belt: a proof of concept project.
The Alabama Coalition for a Healthier Black was a demonstration of concept project. This paper is a descriptive and qualitative overview of this 2.5 year project. Limited key project results are reported here. Located in the rural Black Belt region of Alabama this coalition had several key aims: to develop a collaboration between primary care and mental health care through co-location of services; use of video-conferencing capability to provide mental health services more efficiently; enhanced training in rural healthcare; and development of stigma reduction campaigns along with other coalition partner specific initiatives. Co-location and telepsychiatry implementation produced the major challenges and resulting adaptations to original aims. Despite many challenges these new service patterns were put into place and appear to be sustainable.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 908 20th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. rsavage@uab.edu
Robert M
RM
Savage
Jacqueline M
JM
Dillon
Jacinda C
JC
Hammel
Tonia C
TC
Lewis
Natasha C
NC
Johnson
Lafon M
LM
Barlow
Molly M
MM
Brooms
Patricia M
PM
Moore
Henry E
HE
Parker
Kanini Z
KZ
Rodney
D000407:Alabama; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000458:organization & administration*; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D008603:Mental Health; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D015397:Program Evaluation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013240:Stereotyping; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D049269:Videoconferencing; D001741:Black or African American