About Us

To advance the field of integration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) created the Academy for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care. The Academy is to serve as a national resource and coordinating center for those interested in behavioral health and primary care integration. AHRQ’s vision for the Academy is to support the collection, analysis, synthesis, and dissemination of actionable information that is useful to providers, policymakers, investigators, and consumers.

Through the Academy site, we refer to integration frequently. Integration in this context refers to primary care and behavioral health clinicians working together with patients and families, using a systematic and evidenced-based approach to provide patient-centered care.  This care may address mental health and substance abuse conditions, health behaviors (including their contribution to chronic medical illnesses), life stressors and crises, stress-related physical symptoms, and ineffective patterns of health care utilization.

The Academy team is comprised of experts and established and emerging leaders in the field of integration. The team works with a core project team to enhance the Academy and build this web portal to serve as an effective resource center for the field.

Click here to learn more about the Academy’s mission.