24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support
(877) 882-5122

24/7 Medical Support
(877) 882-5122

Get help today!
(877) 882-5122

NEWS

Integrated Care: Why Mental Health is Important to Your Heart

February is American Heart Month

Share This Post

Mental health is an important and undeniable facet of overall health. It involves the way that we think, feel, act, and make choices. Trauma, depression, anxiety, and stress can have massive impacts on the physical body.

February is American Heart Month. Many public health efforts are focused on cardiovascular health this month, shining a light on hypertension and its risk for heart disease and stroke. As integrated care providers, Adult & Child staff know that these issues, along with mental health considerations, are particularly important for our patients and clients.

Mental health disorders have a link to heart disease and related risk factors including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, and chronic stress. Often mental health can be associated with the risk factors for heart disease long before a diagnosis of heart disease. People experiencing depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD over a long period of time can experience effects on the body, such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, reduced blood flow to the heart, and heightened levels of cortisol. These effects can lead to calcium buildup in the arteries, metabolic disease, and heart disease. Additionally, people can develop these mental health conditions after a cardiac event – patients struggling with their mental health may have fewer coping mechanisms, making it more difficult to make healthy lifestyle choices.

Do you know who has higher rates of heart disease as a result of pre-existing mental health disorders? Veterans, women, couples where one partner has PTSD, and the BIPOC community. Addressing mental health disorders early and working in multidisciplinary teams that include mental health and primary care professionals can mean the world of difference for our patients.

American Heart Month helps us to shine a light on these factors. At A&C, we have the tools to work together. When we added primary care to our services, we knew our patients needed a collaborative, whole health approach to become successful in their health journey. Working together, we aim to make a difference in the lives of those who come to us for help. This month, we encourage everyone to consider the relationship between mental health and heart disease and to get screened early and often.

Modified from a 2022 article in the Adult & Child News St&nd by Dr. Christine Negendank, Chief Medical Officer. Additional resources can be found at the CDC’s website.

More To Explore

Agency News

A&C 75th Anniversary and Irvington Clinic Grand Opening

Integrated health care is a concept that recognizes how a person’s physical health and behavioral health affect their overall wellness and quality of life. Adult & Child Health celebrated integrated health at a combined celebration of history and growth at its Irvington clinic in Indianapolis April 30.  The event served as both a 75th anniversary celebration for the Adult & Child Health organization, and as a grand opening for the clinic on Washington Avenue, which opened in early 2025.  Adult & Child operates three clinics in Indianapolis and one clinic in Franklin. At the Irvington clinic, primary care providers, psychiatric care providers and licensed therapists see patients in the same building.  “Our goal is to help people live happy and healthier lives and have them be able to succeed in whatever it means for them,” Dr. Christine Negendank, President and Chief Medical Officer at Adult & Child Health said. “Many of our patients have been stigmatized — even in the health care setting — so we are very careful to make sure everyone is welcome here, no matter their circumstance and no matter their level of illness.”  Clients of all ages come to the Irvington clinic for psychiatric and primary care. “Integrated care clients,” as they are called, can come to the Irvington clinic to have multiple needs addressed in one place. It’s a combination of providing the best practices and ease of care for each client.  “It’s so wonderful to see a patient who tells me, ‘I’m out of my blood pressure meds,’ or ‘I have a severe headache,’ and I can say, ‘Well, you know, we have primary care across the hall; why don’t we go get you connected?’” Negendank explained.  A client can get primary care, psychiatric care, therapy and connections to housing programs in a single trip to the Irvington clinic.  “They leave with so much more hope,” Negendank said. “We really try to make it easy for our patients when we can. We offer someone a safe place to come, to feel welcome, to leave feeling better and to leave feeling better about themselves.”  A&C offers addictions treatment at the Irvington clinic. Addictions treatment involves one-on-one therapy, medication assisted treatment (MAT), activities of daily living support, psychoeducation, peer recovery services and case management. The average wait time for a new patient to schedule their first appointment is less than three weeks.  Be Well Bell art installation  The Be Well Community movement is designed to ring in a new narrative about brain health through a variety of programs, including the public display of ceremonial bells that symbolize hope and healing. The bell in Indianapolis was unveiled to the public during Adult & Child’s 75th Anniversary event April 30. Be Well Initiatives works with community partners to bring visibility to the mental wellness movement. The Be Well Bell program offers blank bells to be painted with a meaningful design by an artist(s) or as a community arts project.    Brightli Director of Be Well Initiatives Bailey Pyle, LPC, explained that the art installation includes a QR code that smartphone users can scan to access information on the Be Well program and on mental health services available at Adult & Child in the Indianapolis metro area.  “These aren’t just bells that we’re creating and plopping down into a community, but they are truly reflective of the community in which they exist,” Pyle said. “We know from lots of research that that’s when the bells are the most impactful and meaningful.” The Be Well Bell at the Irvington clinic is the 21st for the program and the first Be Well Bell in Indiana.  Adult & Child Health’s history  Photo Gallery

Sarah Miller, PMHNP-BC

Sarah Miller works with the addictions team, general psychiatry for adolescents and adults, and the competency restoration team. She is board-certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Her specialties are working in addictions and with people who experience serious mental illness.

Miller graduated from Indiana University with a psychology degree and went back to school for nursing. She received her nursing degree from Indiana Wesleyan University and worked in a nursing home and also spent time working in a group home with adolescents. She received her master’s degree from Vanderbilt University.

She enjoys hanging out with her family and her two dogs, and going to sporting events.

Joanna Chambers, MD

Dr. Joanna Chambers is a psychiatrist who began seeing Adult & Child Health patients in November 2021. She graduated from Medical College of Georgia with her Doctorate of Medicine in 1996 and completed her residency in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. In addition to bringing a wealth of experience, she currently serves as an associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine where she teaches Clinical Psychiatry. She is certified in Addiction Medicine and has a special interest in treating pregnant and postpartum women. She is President of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry Organization as well as a sitting member of many medical association boards. Recently, she has won the Residents’ Award for Teaching Excellence in 2020 from Indiana University and has received “Best Doctors Award” in 2010, 2011, and 2014. Dr. Chambers is incredibly active in the medical, academic, and research realms of medicine. She is currently accepting new patients on Wednesdays.