The passage of the Affordable Care Act has expanded to cover more U.S. citizens. However, access to behavioral health services remains an issue, owing in part to the maldistribution of the workforce.

There are challenges for services and interventions for mental health conditions in providing care and reaching out to people across the life course.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) –  

• Depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy US$1 trillion per year.
• 800 000/year deaths from suicide, which is a leading cause of death in young people
• Mental health conditions cause 1 in 5 years to live with a disability.
• Common among people affected by infectious (e.g., HIV and TB) and non-communicable diseases (e.g., cancer and cardiovascular disease)
• Treatment coverage is meager.
• Especially common in populations affected by humanitarian crises and other forms of adversity.
• People with mental health conditions often experience severe human rights violations, discrimination, stigma.
• Lack of sustained financing for services at scale
• Effective evidence-based care is available, but the provision of services is lacking.

[Source: World Health Organization]

We at Ellora Systems argue for transforming the behavioral health system to meet people where they are and raising awareness of social context and social needs as essential to effective care.

Our benefit is to raise the awareness for supporting structures in the workforce and systems of accountability, outcome measurement, and more generous financing of behavioral health care. These steps have costs, but the enormous benefits of a significant transformation in behavioral health policy far outweigh the expenses.

In contrast to specialized clinics, providers must center the preferences of the patient in treatment. Given the limited time in clinic visits, leveraging solutions like Ellora, clinics can provide the much-needed emotional, psychological, and social well-being support in privacy.

Visit: ellorasystems.com to find out more, as to how we can help you simplify your practice.

Author : Sanjay Joshi