Local Health Departments’ Promotion of Mental Health Care and Reductions in 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Rates in Maryland

BACKGROUND:Individuals affected with mental health conditions, including mood disorders and substance abuse, are at an increased risk of hospital readmission. OBJECTIVES:The objective of this study is to examine whether local health departments’ (LHDs) active roles of promoting mental health are associated with reductions in 30-day all-cause readmission rates, a common quality metric. METHODS:Using datasets linked from multiple sources, including 2012–2013 State Inpatient Databases for the State of Maryland, the National Association of County and City Health Officials Profiles Survey, the Area Health Resource File, and US Census data, we employed multivariate logistic models to examine whether LHDs’ active provision of mental health preventive care, mental health services, and health promotion were associated with the likelihood of having any 30-day all-cause readmission. RESULTS:Multivariate logistic regressions showed that LHDs’ provision of mental health preventive care, mental health services, and health promotion were negatively associated with the likelihoods of having any 30-day readmission for adults 18–64 years old (odds ratios=0.71–0.82, P