Register by February 28

February 9, 2015: If you are a primary care physician or behavioral health provider in Western New York, join us for a workshop on March 13, to learn how to best integrate primary care and mental health care as encouraged by New York State’s Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program (DSRIP). Registration is at 8:30 a.m., and the workshop is from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center, 2402 North Forest Road, Getzville. The workshop was previously scheduled for last November, but was postponed due to inclement weather.

Local experts in the field will present how to best integrate primary care and mental health care. The workshop will cover: how to improve quality of care, including mental health, for patients under age 27; training to improve mental health care; implementation plans; payment for combined services; creating the best care plans for patients; experience from local experts who have worked to integrate mental health care and primary care; and a regional approach to de-stigmatizing mental health care.

Presenters and panelists will be from the Amherst Pediatrics, Compeer, Erie County Department of Mental Health, Horizon Health Services, Lake Shore Behavioral Inc., Mental Health Association of Erie County, University at Buffalo, VA Center for Integrated Health Care.

The workshop is hosted by the Elmwood Health Center, an affiliate of People Inc. To register by February 28, go to elmwoodhealthcenter.org. For more information, contact Amanda Scates-Preisinger at apreisinger@people-inc.org or 716-374-0179. The workshop has been funded by the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation.

Founded in 1994, the Elmwood Health Center, an affiliate of People Inc. is a health care facility that provides a wide range of medical, rehabilitative therapies and counseling services for the general public. Specially designed services for individuals with developmental disabilities are provided.

People Inc. is a not-for-profit health and human services agency providing programs and services to more than 12,000 people with special needs, their families, and seniors throughout Western New York. Since 1971, People Inc. has assisted individuals to achieve greater degrees of independence and productivity.