Nearly 10 million adults in the United States experience a serious mental illness. Additionally, individuals with serious mental illness also have a lower life expectancy, dying 15 to 30 years younger than those without mental illness. Despite many organizational efforts and advances throughout the years, access to care remains a barrier for many individuals and families living with serious mental illness.
The NQP™ Serious Mental Illness Action Team is calling for all healthcare organizations, patient advocacy organizations, community partners, payers, and policymakers to work together to remove barriers that prohibit individuals with serious mental illness from getting the high-quality care they need. To see improved outcomes on a national scale, diverse organizations must take collaborative action to:
- fight stigma and discrimination;
- promote early intervention;
- advance clinical education and knowledge to support effective behavioral health treatment and practice;
- improve client and caregiver engagement;
- reinforce parity; and,
- address behavioral health workforce shortages.
The multistakeholder NQP Serious Mental Illness Action Team was convened in September 2018, and includes representatives from 35 diverse NQF member organizations who are committed to action-oriented strategies. The NQP Action Team met monthly over the past seven months to share priorities, goals, and promising practices to inspire action and identify opportunities to improve the access and quality of care for individuals suffering from serious mental illness.
View the full Call to Action (PDF) and learn more about the NQP Serious Mental Illness Action Team.
NQF gratefully acknowledges support from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc., WellCare Health Plans, Inc., and the American Psychiatric Association towards the NQP work on serious mental illness.
For more information, contact nationalqualitypartners@qualityforum.org.
