Behavioral Health conditions are extremely common, affecting nearly one of five Americans and leading to health care costs of $57 billion a year, which is on par with cancer.

• Recent data indicates that 20.4 percent of adults aged 65 and older show signs of a mental disorder
• Depression and alcohol abuse are common among Medicare beneficiaries, which often complicates the management of any chronic diseases, while Psychiatric and substance abuse disorders are the second leading cause of hospital readmissions nationally
• Due to preexisting physical conditions, elderly adults are more likely to seek treatment from primary care physicians, rather than specialty mental care settings, and thus approximately two-thirds of Medicare patients with a behavioral health disorder do not receive treatment