Mental Health in Primary Care: Perceptions of Augmented Care for Individuals With Serious Mental Illness

Individuals with serious mental illness are at increased risk of developing secondary physical illnesses because of lifestyle and psychiatric treatment-related factors. Many individuals with mental illness participate in primary care clinics, such as Placer County Community Clinic (PCCC), which provides primary care and medication-only psychiatric services to low-income county residents. This qualitative study describes an augmented care program provided to this population at PCCC and explores participant experiences with that program. The augmented program consisted of a full-time social worker and part-time registered nurse working as a team to coordinate care between providers, and provide psychosocial education and illness management support. Previous studies have demonstrated that similar programs result in improved clinical outcomes for people with mental illness but have largely not included perspectives of participants in these pilot programs. This article includes participant reports about medical service needs, barriers, and beneficial elements of the augmented program. Medical service needs included the need to provide input in treatment and to be personally valued. Barriers ranged from doubts about provider qualifications to concerns about medication. Elements of the augmented care program that participants found beneficial were those involving care coordination, social support, and weight management support.