Siskiyou County Behavioral Health Services (BHS) had received an Innovation Grant from California’s Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) to integrate mental and physical healthcare in this sprawling, but sparsely populated and disinvested rural county.  BHS had a deep sense of the problems that disconnection between the two care systems created, but did not have a vision or plan for how to fix it. 

BHS hired Praxis Associates to lead a 5-year developmental evaluation to help create and test a new way of collaborating. The first phase focused on researching integration success in other healthcare systems, building relationships and fostering common understanding, and listening to clients and staff from both systems to create a vision for healthcare integration. 

Praxis then facilitated innovation-learning cycles, beginning with a simple process that allowed case managers, clinicians, nurses and doctors to begin working together as a team. Over three years, we used qualitative and quantitative data, regular conference calls and quarterly participatory site visits to develop an approach that works in Siskiyou County. BHS is now in the process of infusing the approach system-wide to ensure all clients can now receive integrated, whole person care.