The Unified Behavioral Health Center for Military Veterans and Their Families: Documenting Structure, Process, and Outcomes of Care.

Many veterans and their families struggle with behavioral health problems, family reintegration difficulties, and relationship problems. Although many veterans are eligible to receive care at Department of Veterans Affairs health facilities, family members are generally not eligible and therefore must seek care elsewhere. This situation can pose a barrier to family members' access to care and also make it more difficult for veterans and families to receive high-quality services that are coordinated across providers. A new model of behavioral health care is trying to address these barriers: Created by the Northwell Health System and the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Unified Behavioral Health Center (UBHC) for Military Veterans and Their Families in New York state is a public-private partnership that is providing colocated and coordinated care for veterans and their families. RAND evaluated the center's activities to document the implementation of a unique public-private collaborative approach for providing care to veterans and their families. The first component of the evaluation focused on documenting the structures of care (the capacities and resources that the center developed and employed) and the processes of care (the services delivered). The second component focused on outcomes of care. The evaluation suggests that, overall, the model has been successfully implemented by the UBHC and has great potential to be helpful to the veterans and families it serves.