Louisiana Healthcare Connections provides free clinical training to more than 5,600 behavioral health providers in 2018
Date: 01/08/19
Baton Rouge, La. – Recognizing the growing need in Louisiana for clinically-trained providers of mental health services, Louisiana Healthcare Connections provided 882 hours of free, evidence-based training to more than 5,600 behavioral health providers across the state in 2018.
Louisiana Healthcare Connections has offered free clinical training to its network of providers since its founding in 2012. Recently, the health plan has focused on expanding and promoting these offerings as a result of numerous studies regarding a need for increased access to quality mental health care in the state. Among these studies was Mental Health America’s “Ranking the States 2018” report, which ranked Louisiana as 45th in the nation in access to mental health care.
“There is a very clear connection between behavioral health and physical health, and our state needs clinicians with evidence-based, quality-driven training in both,” says Kendra Case, Chief Operating Officer of Louisiana Healthcare Connections. “Ensuring that our provider network has access to this education is key to our mission of transforming health in Louisiana, one person at a time.”
As a result of those efforts, Louisiana Healthcare Connections provided 499 behavioral health training courses in 2018. The health plan also offered 40 integrated care courses, and awarded nearly 60 hours of training in integrated care to 367 behavioral and physical health clinicians. Additional courses in physical health were provided to more than 200 primary care clinicians statewide.
Many of the course offerings were approved for continuing education hours (CEUs) for licensure for physicians, nurses, counselors and social workers. Courses focused on best practices for quality care delivery, psychotropic medications, systems of care, ADD/ADHD diagnosis and treatment, and other topics.
In addition, Louisiana Healthcare Connections launched an innovative Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) Learning Collaborative to increase the number of Licensed Mental Health Professionals (LMHPs) in Louisiana trained to provide evidence-based and trauma-informed therapeutic treatment to children ages 0 – 6. Thirty-five LMHPs across the state received invitations to participate in the 18-month collaborative, and will receive 19.5 CEUs from the National Association of Social Workers-Louisiana upon successful completion of the training.
“By making these opportunities available, we are helping physicians and clinicians across the state improve the quality of care they deliver, not just to our members, but to all their patients,” says Case.