What can mental health providers do to balance the care equation? My 91香蕉视频成人在线 role is to teach pro- fessionals how to orient administrators of health organizations to the unique demands of mental health care in order to get a more rational share of budget dollars, resources and attention. We need to educate administrators that simply recognizing mental health issues isn鈥檛 enough. We need to create a system of care where mental health care is delivered like physical care鈥攆rom a provider with whom all patients have a long-standing relationship and who has an in-depth understanding of their psychological health. That is the approach that will ultimately improve care and reduce costs. You say that medical professionals can be skeptical about the practice of behavioral health. Why is that? I believe there are several factors: 1) The mental health profession has not historically managed and documented the quality of care we offer. As a result, the average administrator or policy maker doesn鈥檛 have the data necessary to determine what improves the quality of care and fund expansions of it. 2) The stigma of mental health works against us. Those outside the profession too often believe be- havioral health is only about treating severe mental illness and substance abuse. Of course it includes that. However, that impression overshadows the other troubling reality鈥攐ver half of the people with diagnosed mental health conditions receive no treatment, and, of those who do, over half of them receive care at their primary care physician鈥檚 office. Only one in seven of them receives care that matches best practices. How will you teach students to address these inequities? Behavioral health professionals and administrators need to learn how to articulate their needs, goals and impact as well as medical care providers. Many administrators are running systems that are losing FACULTY VIEWPOINT Teaching Students to Lead Mental Health in a Medical Health System The secret to improving mental health care is to stop talking about 鈥渢hem鈥� and begin talking about 鈥渦s.鈥� That鈥檚 the philosophy that brought Dr. Paul Block to 91香蕉视频成人在线. Block has joined the College to be part of a faculty team that is developing curriculum that will teach behavioral health professionals how to work and create change within a health care system designed for physical rather than mental health. Block says that in many large health care organizations, behavioral health programs and policy decisions are made by non-behavioral health professionals, despite the contributions psychol- ogists can offer. He knows whereof he speaks. He has served the Governor of Rhode Island on numerous health policy committees, ran community service organizations and divisions and served as an expert for members of Federal and state legislatures. We asked Block to elaborate on how mental health providers can lead reform. Q Q Q A A A 6 RAPPORT | Short Take