
Bringing Your Indigenous Culture To Your Medical Visits
For many American Indian/Alaska Native patients and families, Indigenous culture is a central aspect to their life. The values and practices of a person’s indigenous culture influences the mental, physical, spiritual, and social aspects of health and wellbeing.

Creating an Environment of Safety, Teamwork, and a Focus on Improving Patient Care
Regardless of where your clinic is in relation to integration of behavioral health and primary care, environment is a key to attaining and maintaining changes. Your staff will be willing to try new things and work in new ways if the environment is one of safety, teamwork, and focused on improving patient care.

Maternal Mental Health
According to a recent study led by Maria N. Ness, MPH, approximately 30 percent of American Indian and Alaskan Native mothers face postpartum depression. This is due to a variety of factors, including social stressors and lack of resources such as housing instability and stressful life events. What is commonly known as the “fourth trimester,” mothers undergo several physical and emotional changes that impact their quality of life and daily functioning in the first three months of delivering their baby.

Physical activity for Mind, Body, Spirit, and Social Wellness
Imagine you have just gone for a walk with friends at one of your favorite local trails. Before the walk, you may have been stressed and feeling sluggish. Now, you notice that you are feeling more energized and have less that you are worrying about. The headache and upper back tightness you were feeling prior to the walk seems to have improved as well. And, in terms of social, you smile as you think about how good it was to connect with your friends.

The Link Between Diabetes and Depression
A clear connection is seen between diabetes and depression with some studies giving evidence that diabetes doubles your risk of developing depression. Studies show that American Indians and Alaska Natives have greater prevalence of being diagnosed with diabetes than any other racial group.

Provider Self Care
These are extraordinary times. Healthcare organizations and their staff have undergone a historical time of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and as we begin to see some light at the end of the tunnel it is helpful to review where you are with the emotions and any subsequent behavioral outcomes you or your staff are experiencing.

Stress Management for Diabetes Care in Integrated Settings
Integrated care settings offer a unique opportunity to help individuals with diabetes learn coping mechanisms to help them deal with stressors in their lives. Stress can make it more difficult to control diabetes as it may alter one’s daily routine and can result in wear and tear on the body.

BH2I List of Codes for Behavioral Health Integration Billing
Before you begin your integrated care program, it is important to consider billing approaches that can contribute to financial success before (and after) your grant ends. Developing a financial plan before you get started will help make financial success more likely.

Understanding Grief
Grief is a natural response to a loss, not a mental health problem. No two people grieve alike, and individuals often have unique grief reactions to different types of losses. Factors such as the psychological health of an individual prior to the loss and an individual’s attachment history can influence the length and nature of the grief process. Despite the uniqueness of the grief process, there is strong evidence that grief has a measurable impact on the well-being of the griever. As one poet notes, grief ‘tears a big hole in our hearts.’
ResourceLibrary
This section provides templates, forms, job descriptions, and other administrative documents for grant administration staff. These resources offer guidance on providing program management, staff recruitment, organizational management, and establishment of partnerships with program stakeholders.