Despite decades of research recognition and treatment of mental illness and its co-morbidities (S)-Reticuline still remain a significant public health problem in the United States. propose a comprehensive innovative culturally centered integrated care model to address the complexities within the health care system from the individual level that includes provider and patient factors to the system level which include practice culture and system functionality issues. Our multi-disciplinary investigative team acknowledges the importance of providing culturally tailored integrative healthcare to holistically concentrate on physical mental emotional and behavioral problems among ethnic minorities in a primary care setting. It is our intention that the proposed model will be useful for health practitioners contribute to the reduction of mental health disparities and promote better mental health and well-being for ethnic minority individuals families and communities. (Smedley et al. 2003 mounting evidence of a myriad of issues concerning access to healthcare services quality of care received and improvement in health outcomes among different groups continues to build. Furthermore since 2003 the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released its annual (AHRQ 2012 and recently indicated that although the United States health care system is designed to improve the physical and mental well-being of all Americans by preventing diagnosing and treating illness and by supporting optimal functioning. Health disparities continue to exist and our system of health care distributes services inefficiently and unevenly across populations. In 2013 approximately 10 years after the IOM recommended that efforts to monitor mental illnesses and establish better coping approaches for those with mental disorders should be increased. This notion is further reinforced by (1) Healthy People (S)-Reticuline 2020 and one of its goals which is to ��improve mental health through prevention and by ensuring access to appropriate quality mental health services�� (US Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS] 2010 and (2) initiatives elucidated in the National Institute of Health (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) 2008 strategic plan. Nationwide attention was focused on racial/ethnic disparities in mental health services and outcomes in the Surgeon General landmark supplemental report (DHHS 2001 This report documented that minorities receive lower quality mental health care in general than Caucasians and there are still wide disparities in mental health services for African Americans Latinos Asian Americans and American Indians/Alaskan Natives. Moreover Holden and Xanthos (2009) reported that African Americans experience more mental health disadvantages relative to Caucasian Americans with respect to financial barriers barriers to help seeking and poorer quality services. Research among low income African Americans indicated mental health (S)-Reticuline treatment seeking barriers included poor access to care stigma and lack of awareness about mental illness (Gonzales 2010 Ward et al. 2009 Additionally ethnic minorities�� failure to perceive the need for care partially account for the low rates of care for depression among this population (Nadeem et al. 2009 There are many factors that influence these disparities including social determinants of health such as poor education lack of health insurance coverage economic challenges and impoverished environmental conditions (Treadwell Rabbit Polyclonal to CCT5. Xanthos & Holden 2012 Important considerations for reducing health disparities may include implementation monitoring and tracking of local state and national health policies; improving access to comprehensive integrated and patient-centered quality healthcare; and promotion of culturally-centered prevention and intervention approaches for vulnerable populations. (S)-Reticuline With recent implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (USDHHS 2010 there is promise for emphasis on better approaches for integrated systems of care for Americans in general and vulnerable populations in particular. In particular the ACA encourages better integration of health systems and processes utilizing approaches that minimizes duplication of services and more streamlined comprehensive care. Our multi-disciplinary investigative team acknowledges the absence of strong evidence about the effectiveness of culturally centered integrated healthcare models to address health and mental health issues for ethnically and culturally diverse patients (Tucker et al. 2011 Cross et al. 1989 However several observations that are.