Improving Depression Treatment in MO Delta

 

Principal Investigator: Enola K. Proctor, PhD, PI
Funder: National Institute of Mental Health- P30 MH068579-01A1- administrative supplement
Timeframe: 09/04-07/06
Affiliation: Center for Mental Health Services Research (CMHSR)

 

Project Staff:  Nancy Morrow-Howell, PhD, Co-PI

                        Kimberly Carter, MSW, NIMH pre-doctoral trainee, Coordinator

                        Leslie Hasche, MSW, NIMH pre-doctoral trainee, Co-Coordinator

                        Crystal Jones and Jim Grantham, Clinical Specialists

                        Denna Davidson, Field Data Coordinator

 

Participating Organizations: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Division of Senior Services Regulation

 

Project Contact: Kimberly Carter, MSW, Coordinator

                            Phone:  (314) 935-8790

                            Email: kac2@wustl.edu

 

                             
Project Update as of 12/16/07:
Stage: Completed

Description:

This is an intervention development project targeting racial disparities in mental health services in the Missouri “Bootheel” part of the Mississippi Delta Region of the United States.  Specifically, we will tailor and pilot test an efficacious depression treatment, Collaborative Care, for rural, low-income, and functionally impaired African American elders with depression.

 

Specific aims of this one-year start-up pilot study are to:

 

1. Engage experts in depression treatment, service delivery to African American elders, and local stakeholders to modify a Collaborative Care model for low-income African-American elders served by the public CLTC system in the Delta region of the state of Missouri.
2. Pilot test the acceptability and feasibility of the proposed depression treatment to key stakeholders, including Missouri Delta Region primary care M.D.’s, mental health specialists, CLTC administrators, caseworkers, African American community leaders, patients and families.

 

Phase 1: Plan and methods.  During months 1-5, we will:

a)      Identify key participants, comprising DHSS/DSSR supervisors, case managers, DMH staff and contractors, older adults, family members, case managers, primary care MD, mental health specialists, home health agencies

b)      Provide source material on Collaborative Care and depression prevalence data from the investigators’ prior work with DSSR in this region, and support attendance of DSSR staff at a national conference on Collaborative Care in Seattle (October 2004); and

c)      Organize a consensus development meeting with these stakeholders and regional and national experts who bring critical substantive, clinical, and research expertise.

 

Phase 2: We will work with DSSR supervisors to implement the intervention with at least 15 depressed African American CLTC clients in the second half of the project period.  To accomplish this, we will insert the screening measure into the standardized assessment forms used by CLTC to assess clients’ needs.  We will train the workers in the selected sites to use the screen in their routine assessments and reassessments of their caseload and refer all clients scoring above the clinical cut-off for probable depression to the depression specialist.  The intervention protocols will be implemented on at least 15 clients with significant depression.