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Press Release

Integrated Care: A Critical Strategy for Chronic Illness, Prevention, and Pediatric Health

Apr 22, 2025
RE: Talking Points for CFHA Members Engaging Policymakers, Medicaid Leaders, and Local Officials Integrated care—the coordination of medical and behavioral health within primary and specialty settings—is a key solution to […]

Integrated Care: A Critical Strategy for Chronic Illness, Prevention, and Pediatric Health

by Neftali Serrano

RE: Talking Points for CFHA Members Engaging Policymakers, Medicaid Leaders, and Local Officials

Integrated care—the coordination of medical and behavioral health within primary and specialty settings—is a key solution to the most pressing health issues of our time. It is also perfectly aligned with the vision of Make America Healthy Again (MAHA): the root causes of chronic disease, promoting wellness, and protecting our children and adolescents.

Why Integrated Care Supports the MAHA Platform

Chronic Illness Root-Cause Care

Integrated care treats chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and chronic pain by pairing medical management with behavioral support (e.g., stress reduction, adherence strategies, lifestyle change). It reduces over-reliance on pharmaceuticals and increases patient agency.1

Pediatric Health and Early Intervention

Behavioral health integration in pediatric settings helps children and families address anxiety, trauma, developmental delays, and family stress—before these become lifelong conditions.2

Prevention and Health Autonomy

Integrated care empowers patients through early intervention, behavior change support, and shared decision-making. It helps prevent escalation of mental health and physical conditions through timely, personalized support.3

Policy Recommendations for State and Federal Leaders

  1. Fund Integrated Care Teams in Primary & Pediatric Clinics
    • 1.1. Allocate Medicaid and federal resources to support embedded behavioral health in routine medical care settings including models such as PCBH and CoCM.
  2. Build the Workforce for Community-Based, Whole-Person Care
    • 2.1.Invest in training Behavioral Health Consultants, care managers, consulting psychiatrists, peer support specialists and community health workers specifically for primary care and prevention-focused roles.
  3. Enable Same-Day, Behavioral Health Support
    • 3.1.Reform payment and regulation to support brief, evidence-based interventions for mental health and substance use—especially in early stages and for populations with poor access to care.
  4. Incentivize Measurement-Based Preventive Care
    • 4.1.Promote simple, scalable technology tools to track behavioral health symptoms like we do medical labs—ensuring progress, accountability, and patient-centered planning.

What’s at Stake

  • 60% of U.S. adults have a chronic illness
  • Pediatric behavioral health crises are escalating
  • Substance use deaths and anxiety diagnoses continue to rise

Footnotes

  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21190455/ ↩︎
  2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34807644/ ↩︎
  3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8412979/

    Photo by Andy Feliciotti on Unsplash ↩︎

CFHA Board Response To Federal Executive Actions

Mar 12, 2025
RE: When it feels like our backs are against the wall. To: Our Members & The Larger Healthcare Workforce Over the last several weeks …  We at CFHA want to […]

CFHA Board Response To Federal Executive Actions

by Neftali Serrano

RE: When it feels like our backs are against the wall.

To: Our Members & The Larger Healthcare Workforce


Over the last several weeks … 

  • If you have been worried or deeply concerned by federal policy changes that impact the healthcare workforce,
  • If you have been directly or indirectly affected by executive orders, funding changes, or the darkness of the national rhetoric,
  • If you are a member of a community that is a prime target for policies that threaten your safety and dignity,
  • If the status of your ability to stay in this country is in question,

We at CFHA want to share with you: you are not alone. 

Our members across the country are directly impacted or work in communities deeply impacted by the series of executive orders that have disrupted millions of lives. The truth is, many of us, depending on our social, economic, and/or racial status in American society, have been here before and carry the legacy of communities bruised by political meanness, subhuman rhetoric, and undignified policies.

We believe that the dis-ease and unexplainable lament we feel—emotions that are necessary and appropriate—stems from the loss of our individual and collective ability to do the work of equity with intention, visibility, and support. A significant dimension of this real loss is the ability to explicitly do what we deeply value and the fear that arises with the loss of things we cannot get back. We also lament the loss of trust and the pain we feel as we witness the erosion of the gains in equity built through deep vulnerability, especially by people of color who bore the weight of such work.

There are also real losses of funding and human capital that have accompanied these federal directives and those that still lie ahead in the federal budget process. While we stake no political claim as a not-for-profit, we do call out the obvious: healthcare and the healthcare workforce are not the enemies of good governance and we should not be targeted as the cause of macro-economically related financial circumstances.

We will do what we have always done – integrate ourselves in locations where our people are and hold space for each other. Here are some of the concrete things we can do together: 

  • We will schedule community conversations to hold space for connection and to be present with our dis-ease and lament. Look for calendar invites. We look forward to seeing you.
  • Ask your SIGs to convene, share, and hold space. Reach out to the Board of Directors if you need someone to be present or facilitate. 
  • We will curate targeted podcast episodes to share new strategies and learnings. 
  • We will remember our past – the conditions our beloved women and men endured to give us the values and freedoms we have today and to remind ourselves that we have overcome before.
  • We will continue to gather intelligence from around the country and share what we have learned.
  • We will partner with like-minded organizations to promote sustained workforce funding and protections.
  • We will keep reminding you and ourselves to care for ourselves and each other. 

We have been intentional in the use of the word, lament. Drawing from ancient traditions, lament is more than just sadness, rather it is necessary to help us unfreeze from our natural response to traumatic environments. As all of you know, the issue is not that these rough-edged emotions are present but rather our refusal to feel them. Lament reminds us to feel so that we can find clarity to act. We issue this memorandum as a first-step of many and look forward to our continued partnership towards healthcare that integrates physical and behavioral health seamlessly. 

With equity, peace, and resistance in mind, 

Jason Herndon, President

Monica Harrison, Treasurer

Deepu George, Immediate Past President

The CFHA Executive Committee on behalf of the Board of Directors

Photo by Mulyadi on Unsplash

CFHA Statement in Support of Access to Comprehensive, Evidence-Based Reproductive Services

Jul 19, 2022
The recent Supreme Court decision overturning federal precedent guaranteeing protection for people who can become pregnant to seek comprehensive, evidence based reproductive services, which includes abortion care, is antithetical to […]

CFHA Statement in Support of Access to Comprehensive, Evidence-Based Reproductive Services

by chris

The recent Supreme Court decision overturning federal precedent guaranteeing protection for people who can become pregnant to seek comprehensive, evidence based reproductive services, which includes abortion care, is antithetical to the goals of integrated, whole-person care. The ruling has been opposed by the World Health Organization, American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychiatric Association, National Association of Social Workers and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. CFHA stands with these organizations in condemning this infringement on access to healthcare services and inhibiting patient relationships with their healthcare team. Privacy and body autonomy are crucial components of effective healthcare, a fact that this ruling ignores. 

The Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (CFHA), in accordance with our mission and values, supports seamless collaboration between healthcare providers and their patients and families.  In our view any policy or law negatively impacting those relationships is detrimental to a patient’s health and impedes the ability of care teams to effectively do their jobs.

Our members now face fear, confusion and uncertainty about their ability and rights related to how they can best support patients faced with crisis pregnancies and related medically complex circumstances. By returning the issue to the states, this ruling allows state laws to criminalize actions of patients seeking healthcare, as well as their advocates and healthcare providers. Additionally, most of our membership work with underserved populations who comprise the portion of the nation most likely to be negatively impacted by this ruling with even fewer options in desperate circumstances.

CFHA members provide care to patients in all 50 states working to improve access to integrated physical and behavioral health on modern care teams that break down the silos of the antiquated health system. Now many of those members and teams are in states with restrictive laws and harsh penalties. They do not deserve to face fear in providing evidence based medical information and care and should not be subject to criminal charges. 

We are an action-oriented community. We will bring together our community in our culture of shared learning and support our members who need critical information about how best to serve their patients in this new and uncertain landscape as part of our upcoming Community Conversations series. And CFHA will continue to advocate for patient-provider relationships free of fear and restrictions.

Pediatric Group Details the Ways Integrated Care is Poised to Meet the Mental Health Crisis

Jun 22, 2022
June 22, 2022 – The Pediatrics Special Interest Group (PED SIG) at the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (CFHA) has issued a response to the growing awareness around the pediatric mental […]

Pediatric Group Details the Ways Integrated Care is Poised to Meet the Mental Health Crisis

by chris

June 22, 2022 – The Pediatrics Special Interest Group (PED SIG) at the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (CFHA) has issued a response to the growing awareness around the pediatric mental health crisis. The response, posted below, is part of an invitation to CFHA members to join the PED SIG in various efforts aimed at addressing access to care issues from the standpoint of integrated care.

From The PED SIG:

“The right care at the right time in the right place”

Pediatrician offices are often the place where families first go for advice on developmental and – behavioral concerns. In addition, pediatricians have longitudinal relationships with children that provide opportunities for understanding those concerns in context and remove the stigma associated with it.

Pediatric integrated care contributes to improve access to behavioral health care in the following ways:

  • Integrating behavioral health consultants and other roles such as care enhancers into pediatric teams, and building on the longitudinal and trusting relationships pediatricians have with families.
  • Promoting early identification of developmental and behavioral health concerns through universal surveillance and screening.
  • Enhancing the pediatrician’s ability to treat the whole child under a bio-psycho-social approach through interdisciplinary collaboration and education.
  • Providing timely access to behavioral health interventions in a “one stop shop”, without delays or referrals.
  • Making behavioral health interventions widely available to the highest number of children through population health approaches.
  • Tailoring evidenced-based interventions to a variety of presentations and acuity levels under a stepped care model.
  • Supporting parents in providing protective nurturing environments for children to thrive in from the time they are born, and with no stigma attached.
  • Assessing the needs of the family and offering additional supports to connect them with resources and social supports in the community.
  • Building collaborations, coordinating, and tracking services in the community.
  • Tracking patient progress and outcomes, triaging to higher levels of care as needed.

All this from an expert team of pediatricians, behavioral health consultants, and care enhancers working collaboratively to provide the right care at the right time in the right place. Join the PED SIG at CFHA today to join colleagues working on implementing the above and improving their skills as members of the modern care team. Pediatric primary care can be an essential component of solving the access issues in pediatric behavioral health care.

CFHA Supports Bill Removing Barriers To Prescribing Life-Saving Opioid Treatment Medications

Sep 6, 2019
For immediate release: September 5, 2019Rochester (NY), Chapel Hill (NC), Denver (CO), Madison (WI) – The Board of theCollaborative Family Healthcare Association released the following statement todayto support legislation in […]

CFHA Supports Bill Removing Barriers To Prescribing Life-Saving Opioid Treatment Medications

by chris

For immediate release: September 5, 2019
Rochester (NY), Chapel Hill (NC), Denver (CO), Madison (WI) – The Board of the
Collaborative Family Healthcare Association released the following statement today
to support legislation in Congress (H.R. 2482) that removes barriers to physician
prescribing of life-saving opioid treatment:

“As a national coalition of leaders in integrated care we are acutely aware of
the access-to-care crisis for patients with opioid use disorders. We also
acknowledge the paradox that exists where physicians who prescribe
controlled substances cannot prescribe medication (eg. Buprenorphine) for
addiction to these controlled substances without additional training and
registration.
The legislation in the House of Representatives (H.R. 2482) would amend
section 303(g) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(g)) to eliminate
the separate registration requirement for dispensing narcotic drugs in
schedule III, IV, or V. The legislation also calls for a national education
campaign to encourage providers to provide Medication Assisted Treatment
(MAT).
We support this effort which would enable more providers to provide MAT
and thus save more lives. We also support the effort to educate providers as
to the benefits of integrating substance abuse care into their practices. Our
firm belief is that substance abuse care should be treated in much the same
fashion as chronic illnesses (eg. diabetes) and that with integrated care
teams we can support our nation’s primary care providers to confidently
face the opioid epidemic.”


About the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (cfha.net)
The Collaborative Family Healthcare Association is a national member-driven non-profit organization
dedicated to making the integration of mental and physical health the standard of care nationally. Our
interdisciplinary membership of physicians, patients, clinicians, educators, nurses, behavioral health
professionals, foundations, payers, advocates and researchers work to promote comprehensive and
cost-effective models of healthcare delivery that integrate mind and body, individual and family,
patients, providers and communities. CFHA has staff in Rochester, NY, Denver, CO, Chapel Hill, NC &
Madison, WI.

Media Contact: Neftali Serrano, PsyD, Chief Executive Officer, nserrano@cfha.net
Twitter: @cfha_tweet, Website: http://cfha.net

CFHA Supports Bills Increasing Access to Behavioral Healthcare for Mental Health and Opioid Crises

May 22, 2018
For immediate release: May 21, 2018 Rochester, NY – The Board of the Collaborative Family Healthcare Associationreleased the following statement today to support legislation in Congress (H.R. 5531& S. 2613) […]

CFHA Supports Bills Increasing Access to Behavioral Healthcare for Mental Health and Opioid Crises

by chris

For immediate release: May 21, 2018

Rochester, NY – The Board of the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association
released the following statement today to support legislation in Congress (H.R. 5531
& S. 2613) that expands access to behavioral healthcare:

“As a national coalition of leaders in integrated care we are acutely aware of
the access-to-care crises for patients with behavioral health and opioid use
disorders. We also know that many behavioral health providers stand ready
to serve but are unable to do so due to reimbursement restrictions that are
currently part of the laws governing the Medicare program. These mental
health providers, including marriage and family therapists and master’s
degree practitioners deserve an opportunity to serve their country and its
citizens by helping to confront the access-to-care issue.

  • The legislation in the House of Representatives (H.R. 5531, Sec. 6) would provide for reimbursement of services provided by these duly licensed clinicians.
  • The legislation in the Senate (S. 2613) would provide for reimbursement of Licensed Clinical Social Workers to be reimbursed for providing behavioral support for medical conditions, typically billed under ‘Health & Behavior Codes’.

We support these efforts for the general good of our people and because the future of integrated care depends on them. We cannot have a future where every medical setting provides efficient, accessible integrated care if we continue to have a dearth of qualified clinicians in those settings that are able to receive payment for those services.”

About the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (cfha.net)

The Collaborative Family Healthcare Association is a member-driven non-profit organization dedicated to making the integration of mental and physical health the standard of care nationally. Our interdisciplinary membership of physicians, patients, clinicians, educators, nurses, behavioral health professionals, foundations, payers, advocates and researchers work to promote comprehensive and cost-effective models of healthcare delivery that integrate mind and body, individual and family, patients, providers and communities.

Media Contact: Neftali Serrano, PsyD, Executive Director, nserrano@cfha.net

Twitter: @cfha_tweet, Website: http://cfha.net

CFHA Statement In Support of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2017 (HR 3032)

Jul 11, 2017
For immediate release: July 10, 2017 “The Collaborative Family Healthcare Association urges members of congress to pass theMental Health Access Improvement Act of 2017 (HR 3032). Our organization’s efforts tolower […]

CFHA Statement In Support of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2017 (HR 3032)

by chris

For immediate release: July 10, 2017

“The Collaborative Family Healthcare Association urges members of congress to pass the
Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2017 (HR 3032). Our organization’s efforts to
lower healthcare costs through the integration of behavioral and medical care hinge on
access to a workforce that is recognized by all payers of healthcare. This bill would
significantly improve access to mental health care by adding Marriage and Family
Therapists and other accredited Master’s level counselors as Medicare approved
providers. Having a qualified, robust workforce will enable our members to continue to
build integrated care programs across the nation that lower costs and improve care
outcomes by breaking down the silos of mental and medical care.”

About the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (cfha.net)
The Collaborative Family Healthcare Association is a member-driven non-profit
organization dedicated to making the integration of mental and physical health the
standard of care nationally. Our interdisciplinary membership of physicians, patients,
clinicians, educators, nurses, behavioral health professionals, foundations, payers,
advocates and researchers work to promote comprehensive and cost-effective models
of healthcare delivery that integrate mind and body, individual and family, patients,
providers and communities.

Media Contact:
Neftali Serrano, PsyD
Executive Director
nserrano@cfha.net
Twitter: @cfha_tweet

CFHA Statement On The AHCA Urges Equal Coverage For Mental and Physical Health In Insurance Reform Legislation

May 16, 2017
For immediate release: May 15, 2017 Rochester, NY – The Board of the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association releasedthe following statement today in response to the U.S. House of Representativespassage of […]

CFHA Statement On The AHCA Urges Equal Coverage For Mental and Physical Health In Insurance Reform Legislation

by chris

For immediate release: May 15, 2017

Rochester, NY – The Board of the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association released
the following statement today in response to the U.S. House of Representatives
passage of the American Health Care Act:


“We urge the U.S. Senate to consider the economic and quality of care impact
of disincentives for payers to cover treatment for mental and physical health
equally. Our national coalition of leaders in the integration of mental and
physical health care services have made substantial progress in the last decade
to reduce costs, improve efficiency and bolster patient outcomes through
integrated care. Disincentives for payers to cover treatment for mental and
physical health equally will impede our efforts to improve the healthcare delivery
system, resulting in the inefficiency and costliness of care which our members
have pledged to change. Considering the impact of legislation on integrated
care efforts is also a way of protecting the investment that the federal
government (HRSA, SAHMSA) has and continues to make through the millions
spent on integration innovation projects in the last decade. We stand ready to
work with members of congress to help align insurance reform with health
system delivery reform and continue to lead the way in integrating mental and
physical health care.”

About the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (cfha.net)
The Collaborative Family Healthcare Association is a member-driven non-profit
organization dedicated to making the integration of mental and physical health the
standard of care nationally. Our interdisciplinary membership of physicians, patients,
clinicians, educators, nurses, behavioral health professionals, foundations, payers,
advocates and researchers work to promote comprehensive and cost-effective models
of healthcare delivery that integrate mind and body, individual and family, patients,
providers and communities.

Media Contact:
Neftali Serrano, PsyD
Executive Director
nserrano@cfha.net
Twitter: @cfha_tweet

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