Telebehavioral health at a federally qualified health center pre- and peri-COVID-19.

Psychological Services, Vol 21(1), Feb 2024, 34-41; doi:10.1037/ser0000776Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are a safety net for low-income individuals needing mental and/or physical health care. The COVID-19 pandemic required FQHCs (and other health organizations) to pivot rapidly to telehealth. In theory, telehealth services can expand access to needed care. The COVID-19 pandemic provides a natural opportunity to “test” this assumption. We compared sociodemographic differences in patients accessing behavioral health services pre- and peri-COVID-19 at an FQHC. We also investigated potential patient sociodemographic disparities in telebehavioral health service use during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from a single FQHC (13 sites, 4 integrated primary care medical clinics) in the southern United States. Participants included 5,190 patients (69.2% female, 59.7% persons of color) attending a total of 16,474 behavioral health sessions across 2 years (one pre- and one peri-COVID-19). Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 100% of behavioral health visits were conducted in person. During the pandemic, nearly half of behavioral health visits were conducted via telehealth. Telehealth visits were most frequently attended by adults, non-Latinx Whites, women, and people making ≤ 200% of the federal poverty level. A combination of in-person and telehealth service delivery models should be used by FQHCs to maximize access to care for different demograp...
Source: Psychological Services - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research