Evaluating the impact of integrated care clinics on Asian American populations’ mental health

There has been a persistent underutilization of mental health (MH) services among Asian Americans. Many researchers have attempted to explore possible etiologies and to find more effective solutions for the considerable ethnic disparities in MH. Several studies have found that integrated psychiatry and community health primary care increases treatment engagement and access to specialty MH services for low-income Asian Americans. As a result, integrated care models may serve as a crucial preventative model for proper MH care within this population. By evaluating the data from a primary care clinic, Northeast Medical Services (NEMS), which utilizes the integrated care model to serve a predominantly Asian American population, we hope to determine the impact interprofessional collaboration between primary care physicians and psychiatrists has on patients’ MH outcomes. Consequently, this helps inform our understanding of help-seeking pathways that could serve Asian American immigrants in the United States.