Molina Healthcare of Ohio in the US has announced a $1.25m investment aimed at enhancing the health outcomes for residents dealing with substance use disorders, mental illness, and chronic health conditions.

This investment is for expediting the deployment of an integrated system of care model, orchestrated by the Ohio Behavioral Healthcare Provider Network (OBHPN).

The model will facilitate collaboration among various hospitals, providers, and social care organisations, enabling them to share data and best practices to improve health outcomes.

Molina's investment will also support OBHPN in recruiting and training community health workers, who will engage with members and providers to ensure continuous care.

Community health workers will act as intermediaries, assisting with medical appointments, connecting members to social services, and facilitating transitions from inpatient to community care settings.

This improvement in care efficiency is expected to reduce unnecessary clinical visits and emergency room costs.

With a rise in demand for such services in the region, OBHPN partnered with Alera Health to transform into a clinically integrated ONEcare network.

Alera will provide OBHPN with expertise in population health, along with technological and informatics support. Their analytics platform will help in detecting risk factors and care gaps, allowing providers to prevent patient crises.

Molina's financial backing will also streamline the aggregation of data, technological optimisation, and other essential processes for the care model's implementation.

Starting next year, Molina and OBHPN are set to enter a performance-based contract that will help OBHPN improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.

This commitment from Molina aligns with the Ohio Government’s investment in mental health and addiction crisis services, which includes a $90m federal fund allocation for establishing behavioural health urgent care clinics, mobile crisis service teams, and technology enhancements.

Molina Healthcare of Ohio plan president Ami Cole said: “Molina is excited to be the first Medicaid managed care organisation in Ohio to leverage OBHPN’s clinically-integrated network to improve outcomes for our members experiencing behavioural health struggles.

“Through this partnership, Molina members will benefit from a holistic approach that ensures their social, physical, and behavioural health needs are addressed cohesively.”