Rural Hospital Nonprofit Partner

Advancing Integrated Behavioral Health in Rural Primary Care

The Center for Integrated Primary Care (CIPC) at UMass Chan Medical School strengthens rural primary care teams through evidence-based behavioral health education and training. By equipping clinicians with the knowledge and skills to deliver integrated, whole-person care, CIPC helps rural healthcare organizations expand access to behavioral health services in communities facing significant workforce shortages.

Through flexible education, consultation, and implementation support, CIPC enables primary care teams to better address mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and other behavioral health needs without relying solely on specialty providers.

Rural Healthcare Focus

  • Integrated primary care
  • Behavioral health
  • Mental health
  • Motivational interviewing
  • Substance use disorder treatment

Programs and Resources

Certificate of Advanced Mental Health Care in Primary Care
Provides physicians and advanced practice providers with practical training to improve the diagnosis and management of mental health conditions within primary care.

Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) Certificate Program
Builds competency in delivering integrated behavioral healthcare through team-based primary care models.

Certificate of Intensive Training in Motivational Interviewing
Develops communication skills that strengthen patient engagement and support meaningful behavior change.

Customized Education and Consultation
Offers webinars, short courses, Project ECHO programs, and organizational consultation to help healthcare teams implement sustainable integrated behavioral health practices.

Designed for Rural Healthcare

CIPC programs are built around the realities of rural primary care, where clinicians often manage complex behavioral health needs with limited specialty resources.

Its approach includes:

  • Asynchronous online learning accessible from any location
  • Instruction from practicing clinician-educators experienced in integrated primary care
  • Project ECHO consultation to support implementation after training
  • Practical education designed for rural workforce and resource constraints
  • Flexible programs that fit the schedules of busy healthcare professionals

Measurable Impact

Since 2007, CIPC has trained thousands of clinicians nationwide in integrated behavioral healthcare, including providers serving rural communities from Maine to Alaska.

Its Certificate of Advanced Mental Health Care in Primary Care has completed six cohorts and trained more than 270 physicians and advanced practice providers, with one in four participants practicing in rural healthcare settings, demonstrating the program’s reach in communities where access to behavioral health specialists is often limited.

Rural Success Story

CIPC partnered with a large healthcare organization serving rural communities in upstate New York to increase the number of primary care providers trained and prepared to prescribe medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

Through management consultation, in-person education, and a longitudinal Project ECHO program, the organization expanded provider capacity to deliver evidence-based addiction treatment within primary care. The initiative was recognized with a New York State award and contributed to published research demonstrating successful implementation and clinical outcomes.

Project ECHO and primary care buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder: Implementation and clinical outcomes: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34086529/

What Rural Healthcare Leaders Are Saying

Client testimonial coming soon.

What Sets CIPC Apart

  • More than 19+ years of experience advancing integrated primary care education
  • Programs developed and taught by practicing clinicians with real-world primary care experience
  • Flexible online education designed for rural providers regardless of geographic location
  • Ongoing consultation and implementation support that extends learning beyond the classroom
  • Commitment to strengthening rural primary care by expanding behavioral health capacity within existing care teams

Learn More: https://www.umassmed.edu/cipc/AboutCIPC/partnerships/

Contact

For more information about CIPC programs and partnerships:

Amber Cahill, PsyD, MPH
Associate Director
✉️ amber.cahill@umassmemorial.org

Daniel Mullin, PsyD, MPH
Director, Center for Integrated Primary Care (CIPC)

✉️daniel.mullin@umassmed.edu

Psychologists in integrated health care: Family medicine