As many of you know, on July 1, 2015 Twin Oaks Community Services merged with Greater Trenton Behavioral Healthcare to form Oaks Integrated Care. The most frequent question I receive is, “Why the new name?”.
By focusing on integrated care, we can begin to treat the whole person to achieve both mental and physical wellness. Individuals living with mental illness face an increased risk of having chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. In fact, adults living with serious mental illness die on average 25 years earlier than the general population.
The deaths are largely due to treatable, preventable medical conditions caused by risk factors including smoking, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, substance abuse, metabolic syndrome and inadequate access to medical care. The general lack of coordination between mental health and primary healthcare providers also contributes to the problem.
So how do we begin to address these issues? A variety of programs throughout our organization currently offer integrated care including substance abuse services, smoking cessation groups, nutrition planning, onsite flu shots, exercise groups and linkage to primary,specialty and dental care. Many also perform routine monitoring of blood pressure, weight and other vitals.
In October 2015, we took a big step toward expanding integrated care services by opening a Behavioral Health Home in Mercer County. Adults with a mental health diagnosis and their families will learn to develop the skills needed to manage their own health and reach personalized wellness goals.
The program offers coaching on how to manage chronic health conditions and works to coordinate treatment between all healthcare providers. Consumers have access to healthy lifestyle activities including exercise coaching, a fitness center, walking groups, nutrition/cooking classes and more.
This innovative approach paves the way for the future as we continue to expand integrated care services throughout the organization in 2016 and beyond. Thank you for your continued support along the way.
Respectfully,
Bob Pekar
