Access to behavioral health care is expanding for oncology patients in the Inland Northwest with the launch of a new partnership between Cancer Care Northwest PS and Advanced Behavioral Health LLC.

The two companies are collaborating to improve access to counseling services for Cancer Care Northwest patients, while also raising awareness and emphasizing the importance of mental health and emotional well-being as an integral part of a patient's cancer treatment plan. 

Spokane Valley-based Advanced Behavioral Health CEO Joseph Judd says many studies by the American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society address the prevalence of simultaneous behavioral health issues and cancer diagnoses.

"About 30% of people who are being treated for cancer, or who have a cancer diagnosis, also have concurrent behavioral health or mental health diagnosis," Judd says. 

Collaborative care has been a growing movement in the last 10 to 15 years among larger health care providers, explains Judd, adding that research supports the fact that overall health outcomes are improved when patients also receive behavioral health treatment. That's especially true for younger cancer patients who tend to be at a higher risk of coinciding depression or anxiety with their cancer diagnosis, he says.

Sustained behavioral health integration at physician practices has only occurred in a small subset of practices, even though integration has long been identified as one of the more effective solutions for patients to access treatment for mental health conditions, according to a February report by the American Medical Association and the Rand Corp., a California-based research and development nonprofit.

The collaboration is intended to be an ongoing partnership between the two organizations, says Judd, who gives credit to Cancer Care Northwest for being intentional in the decision to partner for counseling services with Advanced Behavioral Health.

 Advanced Behavioral Health has seen a steady uptick of between 10% and 15% in referrals at its Spokane Valley office in the last three months, explains Judd. He anticipates that referrals from Cancer Care Northwest will grow to about 20% of Advanced Behavioral Health's business in the future. 

The two companies began working together on a plan to expand behavioral health services about six months ago, when Judd and Cancer Care Northwest's CEO Rod Emerson discussed what that care would look like and the type of resources that Advanced Behavioral Health could provide, Judd says.

"It was a very deliberate move that Cancer Care Northwest made to pull this together. Our intent is to be there and available for them," he says. "They really moved to a model where they could open that up for their patients."

Representatives of Cancer Care Northwest were unavailable to comment.

Currently, Advanced Behavioral Health is helping providers at Cancer Care Northwest get familiar with the new referral process and educating staff on best practices for referrals.

Advanced Behavioral Health doesn't have a goal in mind for the number of patient referrals the company expects to receive, but he does expect to see referrals continue to grow. As referrals increase, he anticipates hiring more staff to meet that demand.

"To be a quick and ready resource, a big part of that is being able to manage our patient load to make sure we always have the capacity," says Judd. "We want to manage that as best we can so that we can get people in quickly."

Some patients at Advanced Behavioral Health have shared their previous experiences seeking mental health support in which they've waited a month or two to be seen by a specialist.

"It's really hard to get in," he says. "Usually, we try and get them in within a week's time because if they're ready to do something about it, we want to act on that."

Looking ahead, Judd says Advanced Behavioral Health will continue moving toward a collaborative care model with other health care providers and facilities. 

There's no rush to expand those provider partnerships in 2025 though, he says, adding that he intends to ensure the company doesn't take on more than it can handle and that the level of care meets Advanced Behavioral Health's standards. Working with Cancer Care Northwest is helping to quantify which integration processes work best and determine the most effective ways to connect, he adds.

"Our goal is to remove barriers to care because a lot of times with cancer, depression and anxiety and cancer all share very similar symptoms," he says. "Sometimes mental illness might not be recognized ... so, by having their doctors assess for depression and be able to refer them for care leads to better outcomes."

Advanced Behavioral Health employs six licensed mental health counselors, including Judd, who is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and two administrative employees. The company is located on the second floor of a multitenant office building, at 2510 N. Pines Road, in Spokane Valley.

Cancer Care Northwest has over 30 physicians and advanced practice providers who specialize in medical, surgical, and radiation oncology, according to the company's website. Cancer Care Northwest is based in Spokane Valley and serves patients from seven locations in Spokane and Kootenai counties.