MDG program offers services that can change lives

  • Published
  • By Kendahl Johnson
  • KIrtland Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Tucked away in the 377th Medical Group's Family Medicine Clinic is one of the best kept secrets in the Air Force, a program with services that can literally change your life.

It's called the Behavioral Health Optimization Program, or BHOP, and its purpose is to help people change habits, emotions or behaviors that are interfering with the quality of daily life. 

"We are here to help family medicine clinic patients develop manageable plans to improve overall health and well-being" said Dr. Leanna Manuel, internal behavioral health consultant.

Manuel, a clinical psychologist, said many of the patients who come to the clinic with a physical issue have some sort of emotional, habitual or behavioral problem contributing to their problem. The Air Force wanted a program with someone trained in mental health -- an expert in behavior change -- to recognize those problems and help patients develop strategies to overcome them.

"We know good health care is more than just taking care of our bodies," she said. "Our program complements medical care, but is more holistic, addressing body, mind and spirit."

Manuel first meets with patients for a 20-minute consultation to discuss their issues and find out what's working and what's not working. She helps the patient develop a plan of attack and discusses and helps refine that plan during follow up visits.

"I'm not going to fix anything in a few 20-minute visits, but I can start the progress," she said. "I can intervene and help patients identify goals and help them get started down the right path."

The program offers self-management strategies in numerous areas, including parenting, relationships, dealing with grief, reducing stress, weight loss, smoking cessation, sleep disorders, exercise and many others. Managing depression, anxiety or anger are also among the programs.

Education is available in a classroom setting as well, with instruction available in areas such as sleep management, stress management and weight management.

BHOP offers the help of a behavioral health care facilitator, who supports family health clinic patients who are adapting to the use of a new prescription medication.

"I manage patients who have started on a medication for anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or other reasons," said Michelle Aragon, a registered nurse and the program's behavioral health care facilitator. "Those people often need supportive follow up consultations to see if medicine is being effective or to help manage side effects."

Manuel said the most important thing is that people get the help and support they need.

"These services are here as part of a patient's comprehensive health care benefits," she said. "Patients whose quality of life is suffering due to behaviors or emotions should take advantage of the resources available to them."

While most patients can access the BHOP services through their primary care manager, it isn't necessary to have a referral. Appointments can be scheduled at the front desk in the Family Medicine Clinic or by calling 846-3200.