St. Anthony’s is pleased to welcome psychiatrist Terry Osback, M.D., to our Medical Clinic staff.

November 14, 2024

Dr. Osback brings more than 40 years of experience as a clinician, educator, and program development expert across a range of clinical settings, from teaching hospitals and community health clinics to acute psychiatric care facilities. His career has been dedicated to the health and healing of vulnerable patients, including individuals and families facing homelessness and substance abuse.

Like his colleague and St. Anthony’s CEO, Dr. Larry Kwan, Dr. Osback views behavioral health support as an essential part of overall health care. As co-founder, with Dr. Kwan, of the Valley Homeless Health Care Program in San Jose, Dr. Osback’s commitment to integrating mental health into community care reflects a collaborative, holistic approach.

Dr. Osback champions the Integrated Behavior Health model, enhancing it further to include co-visits. In a co-visit, behavioral health providers and other supporting disciplines join the primary care physician in the exam room, creating a space to understand patient issues beyond what is initially presented.

“Personal circumstances and state of mind influence health—we know that,” Dr. Osback says. “The co-visit model is about creating conditions where we can uncover underlying issues and provide the right support.” He explains that bringing the primary care provider and a behavioral health clinician together creates space for addressing the psychosocial components of health, resulting in more effective, tailored treatment.

The goal, Dr. Osback emphasizes, is to address issues and concerns in the moment. For instance, could a patient’s back pain stem from anxiety related to a difficult living situation, something that could be alleviated with a housing referral? Or could a patient better manage diabetes with the help of the clinic’s diabetes nurse? With St. Anthony’s “one-stop-shop” resources, patients can receive the care they need directly or through a warm handoff to a trusted community partner.

Mind, body, spirit, and community

At St. Anthony’s, Dr. Osback sees a team of caring professionals committed to holistic care that integrates all aspects of health—mind, body, spirit, and community. He believes that the co-visit model is a natural fit for serving patients with trust concerns, insurance issues, communication barriers, and other challenges. “The clinic staff’s openness to this approach is critical to effective program development,” says Dr. Osback, who has designed behavioral health programs in California, Oregon, and Alaska. “The logistics of providing what the patient needs on the spot—yes, it’s challenging. But that’s why I’m here at St. Anthony’s, where everyone is dedicated to embracing changes that can improve care.”

Dr. Osback notes that, thanks to the generous support of donors, St. Anthony’s medical team can explore new, holistic care models that focus on treating the whole person, without the limitations often imposed by traditional billing requirements.

This focus on whole-person care reflects a commitment to compassionate, comprehensive treatment—an approach that St. Anthony’s CEO Dr. Larry Kwan wholeheartedly supports. “When Terry and I worked together in San Jose, I knew our values and approach to patient care were aligned,” Dr. Kwan recalls. “He’s an exceptional practitioner and visionary leader, and I look forward to seeing how his expertise will improve our clinic’s services and patient outcomes.”

Dr. Osback has a track record of launching innovative programs throughout his career, including the first psychiatric emergency services program in Oregon. He led efforts in recruitment, hiring, training, and supervision of psychiatrists and advanced nursing practitioners, while developing workflows and meeting regulatory requirements in collaboration with other hospital departments.

Before his role as chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Valley Medical Center, Dr. Osback held executive leadership roles at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco; Anchorage Community Mental Health Center in Anchorage, Alaska; and Adventist Health Hospital in St. Helena, Oregon, where he led multidisciplinary teams in advancing best practices, policies, and patient care.

Dr. Osback’s solutions-oriented mindset and calm demeanor may stem from his experience growing up in a single-parent home with four lively siblings in California’s Central Valley. Initially considering family practice, he changed his residency to psychiatry at the last moment and has never looked back.

Dr. Osback earned his M.S. and M.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley/San Francisco Joint Medical Program, and his B.S. from the University of California, Davis. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities and is an avid hiker and horseback rider.

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