A Journey Toward Full Integration

The Abbottsford Falls Community Health Center

Abstract

1992: A Commitment to Behavioral Health from the Start. The Family Practice and Counseling Network’s (FPCN) Abbottsford Falls community health center, a public housing-based federally qualified health center (FQHC), opened for business in July 1992. It was nestled in the center of the Abbottsford public housing development, where it occupied an area formerly known as “Piper’s Row” for its infestation of drugs and drug dealers. Among the health center’s 11 staff was a psychologist, a South African woman, who manifested behaviors that exemplified her belief in the need for strong community connections. She was the first person to be hired, evidence of the director’s commitment to behavioral health (BH) care. The director believed that people did not have the resources to tend to their personal medical needs or to their families if they were depressed, substance abusers or afflicted with a mental illness. Furthermore, the rates of trauma, substance abuse and mental illness were disproportionately high among residents of public housing communities. A strong and supportive relationship was built between the center’s psychologist and the community. A drug and alcohol support group met weekly. By the second year, the center held two licenses from the state Office of Mental Health and Drugs and Alcohol. Care provided by a part-time psychiatrist augmented the department.