Student Reflection: More Than Integrated Care
Heather Jelonek
DBH Candidate at Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies
February 13, 2020
I have spent 25+ years in the healthcare field, primarily working for health plans developing provider networks to care for the needs of patients. While I hold clinical licenses, I am not a practicing clinician, so my vantage point is different than most of my classmates.
When I decided to further my education and apply for acceptance at Cummings Graduate Institute, I was extremely narrow-minded in what I expected out of the program: an education on integrating behavioral health care into the medical health system. For years, I have witnessed how dysfunctional the US healthcare delivery system is; however, I never grasped the full extent of the troubles until I was deeply involved in the DBH program.
The curriculum exposes our students to a wide variety of issues and obstacles that many of our students have never been exposed to before. We are exposed to the science of mental health, pharmacology, social determinants of health, health equity, adverse childhood events and quality improvement programs. All these factors drive mental and medical health and they should not be separated.
My focus is now caring for the totality of the patient; not just integrating care but building strong care teams with common goals and objectives addressing all the unique needs of the patients who entrust us with their care. From a health plan administrative position, the skills that we gain within our program creates the ability to impact change within the delivery model. We can demonstrate the ability pay for much needed services while reducing the total cost of care without rationing healthcare.
Cummings Graduate Institute offers an education unlike any I have ever seen.
I am proud to be a student and healthcare disrupter!
