Davis Plunkett’s job is to help the inner person, but sometimes fear of outside perceptions gets in the way.
Often when patients are given a referral by their primary care provider to seek mental health help, they are embarrassed, said Plunkett, manager of behavioral health for Sun Life Family Health Center.
Sun Life Family Health Center has seven offices in six Pinal County communities, including the Maricopa location at 44765 W. Hathaway Ave.
“They don’t follow up because of the stigma associated with going to a mental health clinic,” he said.
At Sun Life, behavioral health is integral to the services and incorporated as needed on the spot.
Sun Life Community Outreach Director Renee Louzon-Benn said the health center had put providing integrated behavioral health care on its wish list and it “meant finding the right person, hence Davis.”
Plunkett, who lives in Maricopa with his wife and 3-year-old daughter, launched the integrated behavioral health unit a year ago and said it’s all about giving the patient better, more thorough care.
“It’s bringing us into the examination room, using the philosophy of mind and body working in unison,” he said.
Plunkett has a master’s degree in social work from San Diego State and has worked with clients ranging from the drug-and-alcohol addicted to dialysis patients to those with family issues. Sun Life recruited him from Cigna where he worked on the population health management team.
About 60 percent of Sun Life Health Center’s patients have behavioral health issues such as depression and anxiety that can go hand in hand with hypertension, diabetes and other medical conditions, Plunkett said.
“Behavior modification is about having better outcomes,” he said. The primary care provider can call Plunkett in during a physical examine to consult.
For example, someone with hypertension may be having trouble controlling their blood pressure because they aren’t sleeping properly. Plunkett discovers the sleeping issue, asks a few more questions and may recommend that person turn off the TV in the bedroom at night, or turn the digital clock toward the wall so the glare isn’t disturbing sleep.
Sometimes, he simply reminds people to breathe deep — in through the nose and out through the mouth to get them into a calmer state.
Plunkett sees about eight clients a day — half with appointments, and half when a doctor asks him to consult. While typically a patient visits him two to four times, the health center doesn’t turn anyone away and works with the insured and uninsured on a sliding fee scale as needed.
“I find myself every day reminding people to look at the little things,” he said as he counsels people. He tells of a guy who lost his job, his retirement money and his car.“I asked him, ‘Can you walk,’ and he said ‘Yes,’ and we started with that.”
Integrated health care is a relatively new concept Plunkett said and when he asks people what they are doing for themselves, he said he often gets a blank look.
“I think people are caught up in life,” he said. “I try to bring a sense of realism to their day. Take a step back and take one day at a time.”
While an on-site consultation in Maricopa may come as soon as 2012, for now patients needing behavioral health assistance are sent to the Sun Life Family Health Center in Casa Grande.
Plunkett said he sees himself as the guide who helps the patient make a difference in their own lives.
“I always tell my patients that I have issues, too, to deal with and it’s why I go on a walk at night, or run. It’s all self management, and no one is beyond it,” he said.
