Innovative Models of Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care for Older People

Primary care can play a key role in identifying and addressing the behavioral health needs of older patients. Join us for a discussion hosted by the Section on Healthy Aging of The New York Academy of Medicine to learn about exciting models and available resources for integrating behavioral health into primary care.

Dr. Gary Kennedy of Montefiore Medical Center will serve as the evening’s keynote speaker, with additional presentations including: integration innovations, past and current healthcare policies that have an impact on geriatric care, and available community resources. A panel discussion and audience Q&A will follow.

Keynote Speaker:

Gary Kennedy, MD is Director, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center and Professor and Vice Chair for Education at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Since 2004 the United Jewish Appeal-Health Care Fund has supported his programs including “Integrating Mental Health Services to Reduce Depression in Home Care Patients” and “Alliance for the Mental Health of Holocaust Survivors.” In 2002 he served as President of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. He is a Fellow of the Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College, The American Psychiatric Association, and The New York Academy of Medicine.  His books (Suicide and Depression in Late Life, Geriatric Mental Health Care, Geriatric Depression) and scientific publications have focused on the behavioral health of older adults. Dr. Kennedy is an alumnus of the University of Texas in Austin and the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

Panelists:

Karinn A. Glover, MD, MPH is Director of Adult Behavioral Health at Montefiore Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She focuses on health equity, diversity in medicine, medical student and residency education, community engagement, and increasing access to mental health for marginalized populations. Dr. Glover leads a multidisciplinary team of medical and mental health providers and community-based organizations.  She also managed the implementation and expansion of a collaborative care model in 21 primary care clinics throughout the Bronx and lower Westchester County. Dr. Glover is also a former Vice President of the Black Psychiatrists of Greater New York & Associates.

Amy Dorin, LCSW is President and CEO at The Coalition for Behavioral Health, an umbrella organization that provides advocacy in New York City and New York State and workforce training for over 100 nonprofit behavioral health member agencies in the New York metropolitan area. Previously, Ms. Dorin has held a variety of positions in NYC including Senior Vice President for Community Behavioral Health & Residential Services at FEGS Health &Human Services. Ms. Dorin has received several awards including the 2015 Cognitive Remediation in Psychiatry Conference’s Science to Practice Award and the 2013 award from the NYS Office of Mental Health’s Suicide Prevention Center. Ms. Dorin is a Fellow of The New York Academy of Medicine.

Nancy Harvey, LMSW, is Chief Executive Officer of Service Program for Older People (SPOP), a regional resource for affordable mental health care for adults age 55 and older. She has been an advocate for increasing access to geriatric mental health care in the region and has developed outreach and stigma strategies in partnership with the NYC Department for the Aging, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Mount Sinai Health System, SAGE, the country’s largest organization devoted to LGBT elders, and dozens of other organizations.  She is a member of the Board of Directors of The Coalition for Behavioral Health, where she also serves as Chair of the Healthy Aging Committee. 

Moderator:

Martha Adams Sullivan, DSW, MA is Executive Director of Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.Dr. Sullivan oversees one of the largest state-operated psychiatric hospital centers in NYS which includes inpatient, residential and outpatient services. Previously, she served as New York Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur’s Executive Director, and as Deputy Commissioner of NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, overseeing chemical dependency, mental health promotion and community liaison program. Dr. Sullivan holds a master’s degree from the Silberman School of Social Work of Hunter College at CUNY where she also has served as an adjunct professor. She earned a Doctor of Social Welfare degree from CUNY Graduate School. Dr. Sullivan is a Fellow of The New York Academy of Medicine and vice-chair of the Healthy Aging Section.