The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #65468

Elaine Jurkowski, PhD, School of Social Work, Southern Illinois University, Quigley 4, M/C 4329, Carbondale, IL 62901, (618) 453-2243, etjurkow@siu.edu

Recently the U.S. Surgeon General (1999) services for older adults are insufficient and fragmented, and are often divided between systems of physical health, mental health, public health and social services. This paper examines the process of systems integration and factors that contribute to facilitate or impede this process in an effort to identify how to improve mental health interventions for older adults. A series of key stakeholder interviews, along with focus groups and surveys were conducted to examine the process of community agency collaboration within rural communities. Facilitators and barriers to effective interventions for systems integration were examined through the use of the “VISION” model for the purpose of building integrated systems of care. The paper concludes with recommendations and strategies to navigate the organizational and system factors that emerged in this study, with a view to improving service delivery in a rural community.

Learning Objectives:

The learning objectives of this presentation include:
• To identify what variables serve as facilitators and barriers to the process of systems integration.
• To identify what strategies can work in order to bridge systems of care for communities (counties) between systems of public health, mental health, physical health, and social services.
• To identify the steps which can b used in the process of networking the community towards developing a plan for systems integration using the VISION model.

Keywords: Rural Communities, Access and Services

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.