SPECIFYING THE INTEGRATION OF MENTAL-HEALTH AND PRIMARY HEALTH-CARE SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH HIV AIDS - THE INDIANA INTEGRATION OF CARE PROJECT

Most health care providers agree that the integration and coordination of primary and mental health care is critical for improving the conti nuity of care and the overall health status of people with HIV/AIDS. W hile some research examines programs designed to coordinate services f or people living with HIV, very little research addresses the systems- level network integration of services in AIDS care. In this paper, a r esearch-services demonstration program, the Indiana Integration of Car e Project (IICP), is described. The program is intended to enhance the integration of mental health centers with the primary health-care sec tor for people living with HIV/AIDS in Indiana. A network theory of th e structural factors influencing the patterns of integration between t hese sectors is offered. Drawing on baseline survey data, the current pattern of interorganizational network relationships of mental health centers with the AIDS care sector is described, and a preliminary exam ination of the theoretical framework guiding the IICP program is prese nted. The authors conclude with an overview of the planned systems-lev el network development intervention designed to enhance the ties betwe en these service areas in the northeastern region of the state.