Collaborative Bridges recognizes that the current healthcare delivery system is failing the city’s most vulnerable residents. What we aim to do is address some of the structural deficiencies in the healthcare system that have led to worse health outcomes for residents of the West Side of Chicago.

• Lack of access to care
• Lack of stability in the healthcare delivery system
• Lack of coordinated, cross-agency focus on the social determinants of health

The transition from acute mental health inpatient to community care is one of the most critical periods for addressing patients’ care needs. Patients discharging from psychiatric hospital-based care often find this period to be chaotic, stressful and emotionally charged. The suicide rate for the first week after discharge for patients with identified suicide risk history is 300 times higher than the general population’s and is greatest in the first few days after discharge. Our model embeds mental healthcare professionals with a variety of credentials in the community. We are developing innovative care teams that incorporate both master level therapists and community based care coordinators and are integrating them with the hospital and other critical access points. We meet people in overcoming a crisis event in their communities, and connect them to care needs that improve their well-being to ensure successful stabilization of substance abuse and mental health treatment needs.

Collaborative Bridges’ mission seeks to address all the societal determinants of health our patients experience—social, economic, and environmental factors—that account for 50% of a community’s well-being. By basing our care coordination teams in the community, Collaborative Bridges endeavors to bring together clinical care, public health, and community services in a coherent and meaningful strategy to improve the lives of the residents on the West Side of Chicago.