Making an MPCT: Building and Sustaining a Multicultural Psychology Consultation Team (MPCT) Within an Academic Medical Center.

The synergistic epidemics of COVID-19, racial injustice, and health inequities sparked an unprecedented commitment from US hospital systems and treatment settings to address health disparities by increasing access to care for historically oppressed and underserved communities. However, the inability of hospital systems to actually provide multiculturally responsive care and, more broadly, to consistently practice cultural humility will only exacerbate patient distrust and the deleterious health and social outcomes we seek to mitigate. This perspective article describes the development of a multidisciplinary team of mental health providers committed to delivering culturally responsive mental health treatment while promoting inclusive workplace environments.

Automated Text Messaging With Patients in Department of Veterans Affairs Specialty Clinics: Cluster Randomized Trial.

Background: Acceptability of mobile phone text messaging as a means of asynchronous communication between health care systems and patients is growing. The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has adopted an automated texting system (aTS) for national rollout. The aTS allows providers to develop clinical texting protocols to promote patient self-management and allows clinical teams to monitor patient progress between in-person visits.

Implementing single-item screening for drug use in a Veterans Health Administration outpatient setting.

Background: Unhealthy drug use is a concern in many settings, including military and veteran populations. In 2013, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical center in Bedford, Massachusetts, started requiring routine screening for unhealthy drug use in outpatient primary care and mental health settings, using a validated single question.

Methods: This study used descriptive and multivariable analyses of VHA electronic records for patients eligible for the screening program (N = 16,118).

Enhanced vocational rehabilitation for Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury and mental illness: Pilot study.

Work plays a significant role in how people identify themselves, and successful return to work is associated with significant psychological and rehabilitative benefits. Unfortunately, despite the many benefits of employment, Veterans who experience mild traumatic brain injury and have mental health issues often have significant difficulty getting their vocational needs met. Considering that a consistent relationship between cognitive dysfunction and difficulties with employability has been firmly established, cognitive rehabilitation may enhance engagement in vocational rehabilitation and return to work outcomes.

Adding contingency management intervention to vocational rehabilitation: outcomes for dually diagnosed veterans.

In this random-assignment trial, we evaluated the efficacy of using a contingency management (CM) intervention to enhance job acquisition and tenure among participants of a vocational rehabilitation (VR) program. The CM intervention offered participants cash incentives up to $1,170 for completing tasks related to sobriety and job search and maintenance. Participants were 100 veterans with comorbid psychiatric disorders and substance dependence who were randomly assigned either to VR only or VR + CM.