WIPHL Expands with New BSI, Health Educator Training Initiatives

The Wisconsin Initiative to Promote Healthy Lifestyles (WIPHL) is recruiting healthcare clinics for a new program to further refine the behavioral screening and intervention (BSI) model it’s implemented throughout Wisconsin over the past five years.                                                        

In addition, WIPHL is collaborating with UW-La Crosse’s Graduate Community Health Programs to train a pool of bachelor’s level, certified health educators­­—the very people who deliver BSI in clinics, emergency departments, and hospitals.

These two new initiatives build on WIPHL’s proven success at identifying and addressing substance abuse—and helping Wisconsinites live healthier, happier, and more productive lives.

Helping Clinics Implement BSI Services

WIPHL’s newest BSI initiative is part of a three-year, three-state project funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (1)

The project provides guidance and support to clinics as they implement BSI, which involves regularly screening patients for the behavioral issues that most frequently affect health: tobacco use, excessive drinking, drug use, diet, exercise, obesity, and depression.

These issues cause more than 40 percent of all deaths, most chronic illness, and most disability in the United States. Quantifying risk and identifying problems early makes addressing these issues more effective, easier, and less expensive.

Because BSI is a proven way to improve patient health and reduce healthcare costs, it’s recommended by many national and Wisconsin-based organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, and the Wisconsin Medical Society.

Bellin Health’s family medical centers in Ashwaubenon and Howard are the first two primary care clinics in Wisconsin to participate. They began delivering services on November 28, 2011.

“Bellin deserves lots of credit for getting this program up and running,” said Department of Family Medicine (DFM) Professor and WIPHL Clinical Director Richard L. Brown, MD, MPH. “Every healthcare provider I talk to understands the problem, and most agree this solution makes sense, but many feel unable to move forward right now. We’re so glad that Bellin has chosen to make BSI a high priority.”

WIPHL is currently enrolling clinical sites for the project; details are available at wiphl.com.

Building on Five Years of Success

WIPHL has already helped dozens of Wisconsin healthcare providers deliver BSI. Last June, it completed a five-year, $12.6 million grant from the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) through which it provided over 117,000 screenings and 26,000 interventions at 31 clinics around the state.

Results of those interventions were impressive: a 20% decline in binge drinking, a 48% reduction in regular marijuana use, and a 55% reduction in depressive symptoms. Patient satisfaction was extremely high throughout the interactions.

What’s more, 10 of the participating clinics are continuing to offer BSI, despite the end of grant funding. They are:

• Aurora Sinai Family Care Center
•  Aurora Sinai Women’s Health Center
• Aurora Walker’s Point Community Clinic
• Family Health/La Clinica
• Gunderson Lutheran Medical Center
• Health Care for the Homeless—Recovery Clinic
• Menominee Tribal Clinic
• Milwaukee Health Services
• Scenic Bluffs Community Health Center; and
• UW Health Northeast Family Medical Center

Training Health Educators to Deliver BSI

Despite the proven success and national momentum for BSI, a significant question remains: who will deliver those services?

Another new WIPHL initiative may provide an answer. Through a 3-year, $300,000 grant from the Wisconsin Partnership Program, WIPHL is partnering with UW-La Crosse’s Graduate Community Health Programs to train students there to deliver BSI.

The project launched in November with faculty training sessions on motivational interviewing (MI), a key part of the BSI model for effecting behavior change.

In September 2012, the first cohort of up to 25 community health education majors will begin intensive instruction and skill development in BSI.

“Federal healthcare reform pushes for these behavioral services because of their effectiveness and cost savings,” Dr. Brown said. “Clearly, if BSI is to fulfill its potential to improve health and decrease health care costs, our nation will need a new army of rigorously trained healthcare professionals with these special skills.”

References

(1) AHRQ #R18HS019943 is being conducted by Partners in Integrated Care (PIC), a collaboration between WIPHL, the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ), the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement, the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, and the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement.

Related articles

• New Program Will Train Health Educators to Address Behavioral Issues
• Wisconsin Initiative to Promote Healthy Lifestyles (WIPHL) Helps Bellin Health Launch New Behavioral Screening and Intervention Services