Formative qualitative research to guide implementation of the Collaborative Care Model in a low-barrier HIV clinic.

Integrated behavioral healthcare interventions have increased access to care for people with behavioral health conditions in primary care settings. However, they have not been widely implemented in low-barrier HIV care settings where undertreated behavioral health needs remain high. We conducted a formative qualitative evaluation, using in-depth interviews with purposively selected stakeholders ( = 13) and patients ( = 16), to identify anticipated barriers and facilitators to integrating care for depression and opioid use disorder for people with HIV via the Collaborative Care Model at a low-barrier HIV clinic.

Adaptation of the collaborative care model to integrate behavioral health care into a low-barrier HIV clinic.

Background: The collaborative care management (CoCM) model is an evidence-based intervention for integrating behavioral health care into nonpsychiatric settings. CoCM has been extensively studied in primary care clinics, but implementation in nonconventional clinics, such as those tailored to provide care for high-need, complex patients, has not been well described.

Method: We adapted CoCM for a low-barrier HIV clinic that provides walk-in medical care for a patient population with high levels of mental illness, substance use, and housing instability.