Jacynda Wheeler, DO, currently works at Island Hospital in Anacortes, in their Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Clinic, doing general outpatient psychiatry and working with a broad range of patients. The behavioral health clinic was established to support primary care clinics and providers in the community in providing quality mental health care.
Dr. Wheeler’s involvement in the integrated care track during residency at the University of Washington exposed her to the dynamic work going on at the interface of primary care and psychiatry. She is excited to further her knowledge in this fellowship while working to develop a more formal integrated care program at Island Hospital. She thinks we have an exciting opportunity to further our mission and improve access to mental health care by learning from the expertise and experience that the UW AIMS Center has to offer.
Dr. Wheeler is hopeful that 5 years from today, integrated care will feel more like a standard of care, and something that patients come to expect from their primary care clinics rather than feeling lucky to be part of a new program.