Integral Care and Disability Rights Texas are excited to present a virtual community forum – The Rights of People Living with Behavioral Health Needs in Texas. Join us as we explore the history and rights of people who live with behavioral health needs, including mental illness, substance use disorders and intellectual and developmental disabilities in Texas, the protection of client information, how the law has changed over time, what the current law is and how this can impact service delivery and access to care. Learn more and register today.

On Wednesday, September 29 at 12pm, join Integral Care and the Central Texas Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for a virtual community forum about youth suicide prevention. Between 2007 and 2018, the national suicide rate among adolescents and youth increased by almost 60% – but there is hope. Prevention is possible when we focus on building protective factors and resiliency and ensuring that families have the education, tools, and resources to take early, meaningful action. Learn more and register today.

The University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School and LBJ School of Public Affairs have released a cost-saving analysis of The Inn, Integral Care’s 16-bed residential treatment program. The study found that The Inn saves taxpayers millions of dollars in public costs while improving outcomes for people experiencing a mental health crisis.

Mental Health Weekly talked to Integral Care about The Inn’s approach.

Suicide numbers for ages 10-24 have been on the rise since 2007.  Integral Care recently produced 4 new short videos addressing teen depression and suicide. One video is for teens, the other for a parent/teacher audience. Both are in English and Spanish. The videos dig into the warning signs and how to reach out for help.

According to a CDC report released in June, emergency department visits for suspected suicide attempts rose among 12 to 25-year-olds between January of 2019 and May of 2021. Among girls 12 to 17, average weekly visits to the emergency department for suspected attempts from February 2021 to March 2021 was 50.6% higher than the same period a year prior. Among boys of the same age, the increase was 3.7%.  It’s important to note that these were attempts, and CDC data for actual suicides in 2020 has not yet been released. Until that data is released, it is unclear the effect of the pandemic and racial reckoning of the past year and a half.

We’d like to thank the Moody Foundation for the generous grant to create these videos. We hope you’ll share them with friends, colleagues, perhaps your child’s school or other organizations.

Our school-based therapist team has 10 easy tips for parents to help support a child’s mental health this back to school season. Download their Top 10 List, print it and post it on the fridge.

2020 was a year like no other, one that highlighted the strength and resilience of our communities as we faced daunting challenges and loss. Looking back across the year for Integral Care, I am heartened by the commitment, compassion and creativity of our teams. Through our first digital only FY2020 Annual Report, I invite you to learn about our work to improve the lives of adults and children living with mental illness, substance use disorder and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Travis County.

As the Local Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority for Travis County, our services are part of the publicly funded response to any disaster or crisis. We collaborated with other agencies and organizations to support our whole community as the COVID-19 global pandemic hit our communities. As dedicated public servants, our employees continued to provide face-to-face services as well as rapidly transitioning many to telehealth and telephone to support the health and safety of clients and staff.

As we personally and professionally tackled the pandemic, our nation faced a renewed call for racial justice and equity after the murder of George Floyd. In response, our Board of Trustees appointed a Board/Staff Ad Hoc Committee on Racial Equity and our staff initiated a town hall and other events to explore how our organization can learn about our own institutional racism and address structural inequities. Our board and staff together are exploring these issues with compassion for each other and a commitment to change.

Integral Care is committed to the health and well-being of our community every day – in good times and bad. If this year has taught us one thing, it’s that we are stronger together.

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Integral Care, the Local Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority for Travis County, recently launched a new Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) program, which will use practical, evidence-based interventions to build health and well-being for adults in Travis County who live with serious mental illness (SMI). The innovative AOT program is designed to improve adherence to mental health treatment plans, which reduces inpatient psychiatric stays and criminal justice involvement – and ultimately helps participants reach their full potential and thereby engage more fully in their communities. The program is a collaboration between Integral Care, Travis County Probate Court, Travis County Clerk’s Office and Dell Medical School’s Department of Population Health at the University of Texas at Austin. It will be funded by a U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant award of $1 million per year, over the next 4 years. Together, these organizations will construct a framework of well-being through identification, referral, care and treatment of AOT clients who are weathering life’s storms.

“This grant brings together stakeholders across the community who are committed to building a healthier and stronger Travis County for all by ensuring that people living with serious mental illness are able to access and maintain the treatment they need,” said David Evans, CEO of Integral Care. “Together, we will provide intensive, specialized services that support the health, well-being and recovery of over 200 program participants.”

When experiencing a serious mental health condition, it can sometimes be difficult to maintain treatment that supports the ability to function in daily life and in the community. This can contribute to a range of challenges including alienation from family and friends, homelessness, and involvement with the criminal justice system. Studies show that by improving adherence to treatment services, AOT reduces arrests, hospitalization and incarceration of individuals living with serious mental illness by approximately 70%. These interventions save taxpayers 50% of the cost of care and most importantly improve the quality of life for individuals living with SMI. With this new grant funding, AOT will support individuals who have experienced multiple episodes of hospitalization, arrest, incarceration and homelessness due to the challenges of adhering to mental health treatment. Through this program, the Travis County Probate Court, presided over by Judge Guy Herman, which has primary jurisdiction over mental health hearings, will place individuals in court-supervised treatment while they continue to live in the community.

“The Travis County Probate Court is pleased to partner with Integral Care and the Dell Medical School to participate in the newly created Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program, which is designed to provide greater supervision for persons living with serious mental illness once they have left the hospital or jail and returned to the community, in the hopes of lowering the rates of recidivism in our hospitals and jails,” said Judge Guy Herman. “As the Presiding Judge of Travis County’s Probate Court, I am fully aware of the difficulty this population faces after being discharged from a hospital or jail, and I believe this program will fill a gap in service that could make a more stable life for our loved ones. The Probate Court has been attempting to establish an assisted outpatient treatment program for nearly ten years, and this grant will allow it to become a reality.“

Integral Care will monitor the individual’s treatment plan and help ensure their ongoing participation in the AOT program, facilitating their transition from inpatient hospitalization to community-based care through proactive relationship building, case management, therapy, medication, drug and alcohol treatment, and other services that support and maintain recovery. These tools will establish a foundation so clients have the stability to adhere to their treatment. Additionally, collaborative opportunities for clients will include the creation of Psychiatric Advanced Directives (PAD), facilitated by Dell Med. A PAD is a communication tool that promotes patient autonomy giving capacitated adults, living with serious mental illnesses, the legal authority to—in advance of a health care crisis – memorialize their preferences for care and to designate a proxy decision maker.

“Respecting the autonomy of persons living with serious mental illness is the principle upon which this project is built,” said Virginia A. Brown, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Department of Population Health at Dell Med. “Collaborating with Integral Care to help improve the lives of persons living with SMI brings us one step closer to creating a more just and equitable community for all,” Brown said.

Progress happens when partners from different specialties come together to provide the building blocks of health for everyone in our community. Other collaborators include Austin State Hospital, Disabilities Rights Texas, Housing Authority of the City of Austin, NAMI Central Texas, and Travis County Sheriff’s Office.

Integral Care has been awarded the full SAMHSA Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) grant ($1M per year over 4 years). The funding will be used to develop an AOT program to bridge the gap between inpatient and outpatient mental health services, improve treatment outcomes and reduce incidence of inpatient psychiatric and reduce criminal justice involvement. The Austin AOT program presents a practice and evidence-based intervention designed to promote treatment adherence, empower client engagement in managing their care, reduce inpatient bed stays and involvement with the criminal justice system. The population of focus for the program will be adult clients in Travis County who are persistently struggle with adherence to needed treatment for their mental illness and meet criteria for AOT under Texas state law.

The program will bring together Integral Care, Travis County Probate Court, Travis County Clerk’s Office and Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin to establish a framework for identification, referral and the care and treatment of clients living with serious mental illness. Other community partners include NAMI Central Texas, Austin State Hospital and Travis County Sheriff’s Office. All client treatment plans will employ a recovery-oriented approach. Specifically, plans will include motivational interviewing strategies, psychiatric advanced directives, and collaborative, individually tailored plans of recovery.

Our sincere thanks to the large group of stakeholders who supported the AOT application, including the Travis County Attorney’s Office, Austin Lakes Hospital, Housing Authority of the City of Austin and Disability Rights Texas.

Integral Care received $275,046 from FEMA and SAMHSA to provide Crisis Counseling Program (CCP) supports and interventions beginning April 8, 2020. Integral Care is currently providing CCP supports and interventions to two primary populations: (1) the community at large in Travis County and (2) Travis County citizens who are staying as guests at a City-run isolation facility, housed at various hotels. Individuals who are staying at these facilities have been identified as “high risk” for contracting or spreading COVID-19.

Primary services include outreach, individual counseling, public education, individual education, trauma supports, referrals, and linkage.  The majority of these primary services are delivered via telephone and videoconferencing. Some services are delivered in-person as needed. Public education is provided via local media and social media outreach.

In addition, Integral Care is providing communications support for a statewide education campaign aimed to support the emotional health of Texans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The State of Texas launched a COVID-19 Mental Health Support Line (833-986-1919) to help people who are feeling overwhelmed by the pandemic, connecting them to a mental health professional who will help them with anxiety, depression, stress, grief and worry. The goal of the campaign is to help the community feel connected, offer hope during, and provide mental health support during this time of stress and uncertainty.

Integral Care received $275,046 from FEMA and SAMHSA to provide Crisis Counseling Program (CCP) supports and interventions beginning April 8, 2020. Integral Care is currently providing CCP supports and interventions to two primary populations: (1) the community at large in Travis County and (2) Travis County citizens who are staying as guests at a City-run isolation facility, housed at various hotels. Individuals who are staying at these facilities have been identified as “high risk” for contracting or spreading COVID-19.

Primary services include outreach, individual counseling, public education, individual education, trauma supports, referrals, and linkage.  The majority of these primary services are delivered via telephone and videoconferencing. Some services are delivered in-person as needed. Public education is provided via local media and social media outreach.

In addition, Integral Care is providing communications support for a statewide education campaign aimed to support the emotional health of Texans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The State of Texas launched a COVID-19 Mental Health Support Line (833-986-1919) to help people who are feeling overwhelmed by the pandemic, connecting them to a mental health professional who will help them with anxiety, depression, stress, grief and worry. The goal of the campaign is to help the community feel connected, offer hope during, and provide mental health support during this time of stress and uncertainty.