Behavioral Health Consultants uplift patients and staff

Primary care has undergone significant transformations in the past ten years with the creation of the Army Patient Centered Medical Home. The PCMH focus is on providing readily accessible, comprehensive, in-house, patient centered care that includes integrated behavioral health services. The addition of integrated behavioral health in the medical home increases the quality and availability of care to all beneficiaries through our primary care clinics where symptoms are often first identified.

Specifically, Behavioral Health Consultants are either a psychologist or social worker. They collaborate with other Army Medical Home team members to provide comprehensive care to patients to address physical and emotional issues a patient may be struggling with. For example, they can help with a variety of concerns such as difficulties with family or relationship, grief, excess stress, depression, anxiety, or anger. The BHC can also help develop and implement plans for better physical wellness addressing smoking cessation or other lifestyle changes. All in a short-term, one to four visit modality.

At Byars Health Clinic Womack Army Medical Center, Dr. Sandra Boward, Behavioral Health Consultant, works with Army and Air Force military personnel, adult dependents and retirees. Dr. Boward is a licensed Psychologist and has worked in primary care clinics for Womack Army Medical Center for the past 14 years.  Her current initiatives are for treatment of pain, diabetes, and hypertension. In addition to direct patient care and consultation to PCMs, nurses and all staff, Dr. Boward provides behavioral health trainings and presentations. Dr. Boward shared “I also provide staff morale building and support by lending an ear or direction when a staff member is stressed, celebrating their accomplishments, using humor to brighten the day and hosting events like team building lunches and kite flying.”

Dr. Boward has hosted kite-flying events at Womack the past three years. The event is one of many she hosts to “enhance morale and physical wellness at Byars. I think it puts a smile on your face as a host of physicians, nurses, and staff run around a field behind the clinic on their lunch hour flying kites,” stated Dr. Boward. Dr. Boward continued “in an article from the Wellness Counsel of America: employees have a major role in a company's culture. Healthier employees operating under manageable levels of stress will be happier and more positive, helping to maintain a strong, healthy workplace culture that is conductive to creativity and productivity.” Patients that come in for help because they are sick, have a physical or emotional problem are more at ease and tend to be more compliant with treatment recommendations when staff is more at ease and cheerful.

In February 2020, the Defense Health Agency published two new policies the Primary Care Behavioral Health Procedural Instructions DHA PI 60257 and Procedures Manual DHA Pm 602501.

Across the Military Health System primary care behavioral health teams are assisting patients and uplifting staff. During the COVID-19 pandemic Boward, explained in addition to her roving wellness checks with staff at Byars, Womack has a Behavioral Health Team from the Department of Behavioral Health to assist with Traumatic Event Management. The team goes to clinics and speaks with staff on how to manage stress and anxiety during this crisis.

Boward also shared that in response to COVID19 her clinic, Byars, has been consolidated into an exclusive all Pediatrician and their nurses doing well-baby treatment only. Byars’ medical team have been dispatched to other clinics during the crisis. She stated, “You can imagine one day you have a known work environment and force and the next an entirely new location, staff and patient population.My efforts have been to be a smiling face, a warm hello, information to anyone who looks lost, asking how a staff member is doing and providing stress management strategies.” Boward enjoys her work as a BHC and “bottom line, I'm helping to create a healthier, nicer, more team oriented place to work and contribute to better patient care and outcomes.”