May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Centene remains dedicated to delivering mental healthcare through early intervention, inclusive education, and equitable access to services. Furthering this commitment, the organization launched an all-employee training on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity to educate employees on parity law and outline Centene’s policies that ensure delivery of benefits that do not discriminate against individuals with mental health conditions or substance use disorders. Centene recognizes the need for mental health solutions targeted to generational distinctions to encourage engagement and destigmatize seeking support. Our evidence-based clinical programs, resources, and community partnerships support members as they work to overcome mental health challenges helping them achieve whole health to improve their lives.

Our youth and adolescent programs acknowledge that unless addressed, the lasting effects of a mental health condition can continue through one’s lifespan.

• Under the K-12 Digital Divide Program, Centene along with partners AT&T, Connected Nation, Dell Technologies, and Intel have come together to bridge the Digital Divide among youth in foster care by enabling greater internet access. These technologies facilitate greater ease of access to the internet for school work, telehealth, behavioral health services, online tutoring, job searches, and other daily activities enabling the use of resources and tools to promote positive learning and development.
• Care managers within our Choose Tomorrow™ Suicide Prevention Program use evidence-based practices to screen for suicide risk, develop member-driven safety planning, provide connection to community resources, and monitor members’ treatment progress to prevent suicide. Our suicide prevention program was developed with all members in mind but was implemented first with our foster care population to intervene as soon as possible with this high-risk population.  

Experts anticipate continued increases of mental health issues across all age groups as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including substance use disorders (SUDs), depression, anxiety, and suicide. At Centene, we believe we have a responsibility to educate and assist those struggling with addiction and those who care for them.

• Centene Advanced Behavioral Health’s Members Empowered to Succeed (METS) program focuses on each member’s specific needs providing enhanced coordination with providers to create individualized care plans addressing potential gaps in care while optimizing use of community supports ultimately facilitating resiliency and recovery for members. This approach has resulted in greater medication adherence, increased treatment plan compliance, and improved overall health outcomes.
• Strong Beginnings™ supports pregnant members at-risk for SUD by screening for substance use, and when needed, pairing members with care managers who facilitate access to community resources, including connection to skilled providers. This holistic care approach ensures new or existing physical side effects and mental health concerns are monitored, and access to Medication Assisted Treatment and harm-reduction education is promoted, which ultimately improve the health of the pregnant individual and baby.

Addressing both mental and physical health needs is important throughout all life stages, but for Medicare and dually eligible members often experiencing multiple comorbidities, integrating care can ultimately improve daily living and overall health outcomes.  

• As a step in better integrating mental and physical health care, Centene’s chronic conditions management programs include behavioral health screenings as part of comprehensive assessments and education for enhancing self-care skills. The programs improve whole health and reduce inpatient admissions through care management, member engagement, and provider education.
• Centene’s Social Threads™ program provides resources and evidence-based interventions to address social isolation and loneliness, offering person-centered choices for members. The program employs an evidence-based scale, integrated with the comprehensive assessment process, to measure loneliness and identify members who need further support. Predictive modeling is used to proactively identify members at the highest risk of social isolation enabling proactive outreach.

To learn more about how Centene is supporting mental health in our communities, please view the following white papers:

• Safeguarding Mental Wellbeing in Children
• Advocating for the Mental Health of Medicare Recipients
• Achieving Whole Health through Behavioral and Physical Health Integration
• Payers as Partners in Suicide Prevention