Access to primary care: Are mental health peers effective in helping patients after a psychiatric emergency?

Introduction: Premature death in people with serious mental illness can be due to untreated medical conditions. There is need for community resources to support people with mental illness and assist with connections to medical care. Methods: Study participants (N=175) were recruited from a psychiatric emergency room as part of a randomized trial examining access to primary care after a psychiatric crisis. The intervention group worked with primary care navigators, versus the control group who received usual care. All patients were offered mental health peers and were followed for 1 year. Results: Patients with mental health peers were statistically more likely to follow through with primary care, and patients who had both a navigator and a peer connected to primary care at even higher rates. Discussion: The use of mental health peers is becoming more common, particularly as mental health services are reorganizing into a recovery-based, versus an institutionally based, system. Future work should rigorously investigate the cost and long-term effectiveness of both peer supports and care navigation. Conclusion: Consumer peer supports may be one essential ingredient of a coordinated and patient-centered mental health and primary care system.