The Process: How HFP Got Involved

Five years ago, HFP was approached by Community Behavioral Health, a managed behavioral healthcare organization, and the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health. They were asked if member community health centers could begin to provide behavioral health services, as the existing behavioral health system could not meet the demand.

Why did the city approach HFP to help solve this issue? For over 25 years, HFP, a registered 501(c)(3), has served as a network for community health centers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. They provide a forum for the region’s FQHCs and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to collaborate and mobilize resources for their shared goal of improving the quality of health care in the region. HFP is in a unique position to address emerging healthcare issues by bringing together member health centers, outside experts, and funders. To address the behavioral healthcare issue, HFP and the city conducted a series of dialogues and work groups. Their chief aim was to simplify the administrative requirements and develop a clinical model that would allow primary care practices to provide behavioral health services.

HFP is headed up by Natalie Levkovich, and much of the model’s success has been attributed to her leadership. Dr. Neftali Serrano, a primary care psychologist who has helped provide training for the integration model, says, “People usually have either an excellent grasp of what is going on clinically or an understanding of what needs to happen behind that with funding and policy.” Levkovich, he argues, has both. “She combines expertise in a variety of areas. She has knowledge of the health system and strong relationships with folks in the nonprofit and state level. But she doesn’t just have that big picture; she also understands the model and what it is supposed to look like on the ground.”