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Behavioral health

Your path to better behavioral health with HAP

HAP’s Coordinated Behavioral Health Department (CBHM) is dedicated to supporting the mental health and well-being of its members. Its mission is to provide accessible, high-quality behavioral health services, addressing a full spectrum of needs ranging from preventive care to complex mental health and addiction treatment.

Key highlights of the CBHM department:

    Expert care team:

    • The department is staffed by master-licensed social workers, limited licensed psychologists, licensed professional counselors and a psychiatrist to provide integrated behavioral and medical disease management services to members with mental health and substance use disorder conditions.

    Personalized support:

    • The CBHM team helps you find the right specialist, monitor care during treatment, ensure medication is appropriate and connect you with support groups.

    Comprehensive services:

    • Through partnerships with providers, community organizations, and internal departments, HAP aims to deliver comprehensive, member-centered care that improves outcomes and enhances quality of life.

Mental health and substance abuse benefits:

  1. Finding a specialist:

    • Use the online tool at hap.org to find a behavioral health provider or facility. Log in, click on "Find a Doctor", and select the Behavioral Health tile.
    • Contact the CBHM team at (800) 444-5755 for assistance finding a specialist.

  2. Coordinating care:

    • Keep your PCP informed about any treatment you receive. You may be asked to sign a release to allow your behavioral health provider and PCP to exchange important information about your care.

  3. Emergency and urgent care:

    • In an emergency, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911. HAP covers treatment in any emergency room if you or a family member needs immediate care.
    • For urgent services, contact the CBHM team. Urgent services must be provided within 72 hours of the request.

Additional information

Wait-time standards

HAP has established wait-time standards for behavioral health services to ensure you get the care you need within an appropriate period of time. You can expect to receive care according to these guidelines:

  • Emergency situations require immediate intervention to prevent serious self-harm or harm to others. An example of this would be someone threatening suicide or violence.
  • Emergency services should be sought immediately by going to the nearest emergency room. If needed, your local police department can be contacted for assistance by dialing 911.
  • Urgent services must be provided within 72 hours of the request being made. The definition of urgent is a sudden condition that requires treatment but is not life threatening, such as persistent depression.
  • Routine services must be provided within 10 days of the request being made. Routine is defined as treatment that does not require immediate attention but does require an appointment (e.g., mild depression).

A message about antidepressant medications:

  • Antidepressants are medicines commonly used to treat depression. They may help improve the way your brain uses certain chemicals that control mood or stress. You may need to try several different antidepressant medicines before finding the one that improves your symptoms and has manageable side effects. A medication that has helped you or a close family member in the past will often be considered.
  • Antidepressants take time – usually 4 to 8 weeks – to work, and often, symptoms such as sleep, appetite and concentration problems improve before mood lifts, so it is important to give medication a chance before deciding whether it works.
  • If you begin taking antidepressants, do not stop taking them without talking to your health care provider. Sometimes people taking antidepressants feel better and then stop taking the medication on their own, and the depression returns. When you and your health care provider have decided it is time to stop the medication, usually after a course of 6 to 12 months, the health care provider will help you slowly and safely decrease your dose. Stopping them abruptly can cause withdrawal symptoms.
  • In order for your antidepressants to work as well as they can, they need to be taken as prescribed. They are usually taken every day and taking them inconsistently can interfere with their ability to treat depression. Taking medication on a regular basis can help prevent symptoms from returning or getting worse. It can be helpful to take medication at the same time each day so that it is part of your daily routine. In order to help keep up on your refills, you can mark the date on your calendar and, oftentimes, you can sign up for refill notifications from your pharmacy.

How to react to an opioid overdose

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