Illinois Health Practice Alliance partners with NowPow to address behavioral health needs

The Illinois Health Practice Alliance will partner with NowPow to build a statewide coordinated network to address social needs among those with behavioral health issues, the two organizations announced this week.

The alliance, a payer and provider joint venture created to support the implementation of value-based payer agreements within the community mental health center community, will initially roll out the initiative among 15,000 Medicaid beneficiaries with co-occurring physical, behavioral health and social needs. It will integrate with NowPow’s population health platform.

“We’re seeing a significant rise in the number of Illinoisans experiencing behavioral health issues like mental health and substance abuse in tandem with a rise in social risk factors like housing instability, justice involvement and unemployment,” said David Berkey, CEO of the alliance. “We are teaming up with NowPow to create an infrastructure to connect people across the whole state, including rural areas, with the vital social services they need.”

The partnership comes as nearly half of adults in the country have said their mental health has been negatively impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

“As our state and nation face a continued onslaught of rising behavioral health and social needs, it is critical to have a digital infrastructure in place to connect healthcare with self-care,” said Rachel Kohler, CEO of NowPow. “This partnership advances our steadfast vision to make whole person care, which encompasses physical, behavioral and social care, a reality throughout the state of Illinois.”

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