/ en Sat, 14 Jun 2025 15:56:40 -0500 Wed, 11 Jun 25 06:46:41 -0500 /care-delivery-transformation/clinical/integrated-behavioral-health <div class="cdt-banner-wrap"><div class="clinical-banner-wrap"><div class="clinical-banner-wrap-content"><h1 class="text-align-center">Integrated Behavioral Health</h1><h2 class="text-align-center">Care Delivery Transformation Framework<br><span>Clinical Settings</span></h2></div></div></div> Wed, 11 Jun 2025 06:46:41 -0500 Access to Behavioral Health /news/blog/2025-05-30-infancy-adolescence-hospitals-step-support-youth-mental-health <p>Even before the COVID pandemic, the mental health and wellness of our young people was failing. The pandemic <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-youth/mental-health/mental-health-numbers.html" target="_blank">exacerbated the crisis</a> and made it difficult for them to access needed care; many health care systems are still struggling to meet the challenge. Though Mental Health Awareness Month is coming to an end, AHA will continue to track and share how behavioral health care specialists are working hard to improve access to timely, high quality behavioral health treatment for children and adolescents.</p><p>Today we released a <a href="/advancing-health-podcast/2025-05-30-bringing-virtual-behavioral-health-care-access-rural-youth-west-virginia" target="_blank">podcast</a> from a child and adolescent psychiatrist at West Virginia University about improving access to care for young people with mental health diagnoses who live in rural areas; we also have a new video about how Corewell Health is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLorDolgwSM" target="_blank">improving access to behavioral health care in schools</a>. This year, we’ll be digging deeper and telling the stories of how <a href="https://www.1011now.com/2024/08/20/nebraska-hospital-association-shares-benefits-report-new-initiatives-combat-mental-health/" target="_blank">Children’s Nebraska</a> has trained nearly 100 providers across the state to help treat mild to moderate mental health conditions in young people and how a <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/childrens-hospital/behavioral-health-wellness/pediatric-mental-health-urgent-care" target="_blank">new facility at Golisano Children’s Hospital</a> in New York addresses urgent behavioral health matters for the area’s youth. </p><p><strong>Behavioral Health Care for Life </strong></p><p>Just as physical needs change as people age, so do behavioral health care needs. We speak often about the need to “treat the whole person, mind and body;” now the conversation is evolving to treat the whole person for their whole life. </p><p>The AHA is committed to highlighting how our member hospitals and health systems provide high quality, innovative behavioral health care, often through our <a href="/tellingthehospitalstory" target="_blank">Telling the Hospital Story project</a>; we encourage you to submit how your organization is meeting the needs of your community. We also will continue to develop resources that help hospitals meet the needs of their communities. Our new <a href="/infographic-realities-behavioral-health-older-adults" target="_blank">infographic on behavioral health care in older adults</a> and our <a href="/advancing-health-podcast/2025-05-07-postpartum-mental-health-breaking-stigma-women-infants-hospital" target="_blank">recent podcast</a> on breaking the stigma surrounding postpartum mental health show that we understand that behavioral health must be tailored to the patient. Nothing — not age, not location, not circumstance — should stop someone from becoming the healthiest version of themselves. </p> Fri, 30 May 2025 12:56:38 -0500 Access to Behavioral Health /advancing-health-podcast/2025-05-30-bringing-virtual-behavioral-health-care-access-rural-youth-west-virginia <p>Access to youth and adolescent behavioral health care is a major challenge facing rural communities. In this conversation, Adrienne Coopey, D.O., a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, discusses how a fully virtual collaborative care model is helping deliver early behavioral health interventions and improve access and outcomes for children across West Virginia.</p><hr><div></div><div class="raw-html-embed"><details class="transcript"> <summary> <h2 title="Click here to open/close the transcript."> <span>View Transcript</span><br> </h2> </summary> <p> 00:00:01:06 - 00:00:22:12<br> Tom Haederle<br> Welcome to Advancing Health. In today's podcast, we learn how West Virginia University Medicine involves the entire clinical team: primary care physicians, virtual social workers and others to get children and young people the care they need before a psychiatrist is required. </p> <p> 00:00:22:15 - 00:00:53:12<br> Jordan Steiger<br> My name is Jordan Steiger, and I am senior program manager for clinical affairs and workforce at AHA. I'm really excited to be joined today by Dr. Adrienne Coopey from West Virginia University Medicine. Dr. Coopey is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who is extremely passionate about integrating physical and behavioral health services, which is, we know, something we love to talk about at AHA. And she is especially interested in doing this in areas of West Virginia where children and their families faced challenges in accessing behavioral health services. </p> <p> 00:00:53:14 - 00:01:14:17<br> Jordan Steiger<br> She and her team are doing lots of great work, not only to improve the outcomes for these children and their families, but also really trying to support the health care workforce, and clinicians who are developing behavioral health programs and delivering services maybe for whom behavioral health is not their specialty area. So, Dr. Coopey, thank you so much for being with us today. </p> <p> 00:01:14:20 - 00:01:15:29<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> Thank you. </p> <p> 00:01:16:01 - 00:01:21:12<br> Jordan Steiger<br> So to get us started, please tell us just a little bit about you and your role at WVU. </p> <p> 00:01:21:14 - 00:01:52:13<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> Thank you, Jordan, for that lovely introduction. I think the biggest thing is I'm really fortunate to have the support of West Virginia University to do this work, because I really enjoy it and it doesn't always pay well, right? Reimbursement can be an issue. So, I am currently a fully virtual faculty member in the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry, and my role there at WVU is primarily in teaching psychiatry residents and the child and adolescent psychiatry fellows. </p> <p> 00:01:52:15 - 00:02:33:11<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> So they can join the workforce, and help take care of our people. So teaching is a big role in my work, and it has been all along, which I didn't really catch on to. But, through integrated behavioral health, I've really done a lot of teaching all along. I think most of my, early career has been in-patient child and adolescent psychiatry, emergency departments,  doing consult liaison work in medicine and pediatrics, and then the integrated behavioral health work was just kind of like natural development that kind of happened, which is medical overlap, behavioral health </p> <p> 00:02:33:13 - 00:02:53:25<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> in a lot of the work that I was doing. And I got really lucky. The hospital that I was working in supported me to implement, integrated behavioral health into primary care. Now, I've been at WVU for two years, and really I was hired to implement behavioral health integration. </p> <p> 00:02:53:28 - 00:03:12:21<br> Jordan Steiger<br> I love that WVU has made this investment in behavioral health integration. I think that speaks so, so much to the system and the priorities. And I love that you are completely virtual. I know we'll talk about that a little bit more later and how that helps you in your role. But I'd like to go back to, you know, you are a child and adolescent psychiatrist. </p> <p> 00:03:12:22 - 00:03:36:18<br> Jordan Steiger<br> You've practiced for a long time in this role. I know you're really passionate about the care that you provide. We know that there are not enough of you out there in the workforce right now. There are just not enough people going into psychiatry, and especially child and adolescent psychiatry. What does this mean for patients? What does this mean for the short term and long term outcomes for these kids when they can't see a psychiatrist? </p> <p> 00:03:36:20 - 00:04:02:19<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> Right. So all of that is true. We are not able to produce enough child and adolescent psychiatrists to see every kid who needs help. But I would argue we don't need to. You know, our primary care providers are really seeing the kids who need behavioral health intervention. They're seeing them first, right? They're identifying their needs pretty early, right. </p> <p> 00:04:02:20 - 00:04:34:23<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> We have made it important for screening tools to be implemented for depression and anxiety. So our primary care providers are seeing these kids right off the bat. If we can support our primary care providers to intervene early, we may not need as many child psychiatrists as we feel we do at this point. Treating behavioral health though, is so different than, say, treating strep throat, right? </p> <p> 00:04:34:25 - 00:04:57:04<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> We don't have that one test that gives us that one answer and know that one antibiotic is going to be helpful. And so that can make it a little more difficult to just do. And that, is where I get to be a part of sort of distilling all the I've learned to support the primary care providers. </p> <p> 00:04:57:11 - 00:05:21:27<br> Jordan Steiger<br> So what I'm hearing you say, I think, is that we need to maybe shift our mindset around this a little bit. Not every child needs to be seeing a psychiatrist. And that early intervention piece is really important. And I know that that's something that WVU medicine is really investing a lot of time and resources in right now. So could you tell us a little bit about the work you're doing to empower that early intervention and get kids the care that they need? </p> <p> 00:05:21:29 - 00:05:46:12<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> Yes. We have implemented three different programs already in behavioral health integration. That has been very exciting for me. One that I have continued today and it is a direct education with a primary care provider. I have a pediatrician that I work with in an area of West Virginia that has no behavioral health services as far as child and adolescent psychiatry is concerned. </p> <p> 00:05:46:15 - 00:06:12:13<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> She primarily sees children with behavioral health needs. And I talk to her a couple times a week about patients. And we help implement those screening tools in a way that makes it easier for her to care for kids. I give her recommendations, but really, she's doing all the work. And often I am just saying, yeah, that sounds like a really good idea. </p> <p> 00:06:12:13 - 00:06:46:28<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> And that has gotten a lot of children seen earlier and getting the care in their communities that they would otherwise have to travel pretty far for. Another program is primarily supported through our population health department. Really cool. It is a fully virtual collaborative care model. In general, the collaborative care model parks a social worker in a primary care office who then is the liaison between the patient, the primary care provider, and the specialist, </p> <p> 00:06:46:28 - 00:07:13:27<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> the child and adolescent psychiatrist. I've worked in that model, it's super fun. It's great to have that collaboration with everybody in that team model. This model is completely virtual. The primary care provider can be in any setting. The social worker is calling the patient using the medical record to communicate. And I have direct conversations with the social worker. </p> <p> 00:07:13:29 - 00:07:45:06<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> What that gives us is an opportunity to see patients in various practices that can be geographically quite separated. That was one of the difficulties with rural collaborative care is that the social worker may not have enough volume in one practice to really support their position. And so this really negates that issue. The third thing that we're doing that's super fun is, we call it E-consultation. </p> <p> 00:07:45:12 - 00:08:11:09<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> It is an interprofessional consultation. So the primary care provider puts in an order and a question about a patient. It comes to me or one of our child psychiatrists electronically. We review the chart, review the question and send back an answer. This can be really great. Because we can give it an answer pretty quickly, and we can bill for it so it can support itself. </p> <p> 00:08:11:12 - 00:08:36:16<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> The primary care provider and this child psychiatrist, are part of any kind of billings and review generation, so that can be helpful in supporting the program. That can give those patients who may not be appropriate for a collaborative care model, a more immediate answer before they can get to a child psychiatrist in specialty care. </p> <p> 00:08:36:18 - 00:09:07:01<br> Jordan Steiger<br> Wow, so many things you've mentioned I would love to just dive deeper and deeper into. I think that I mean, the thread I hear among all of these programs though, is the willingness to embrace that virtual care and the willingness to connect across a very large state with a lot of rural communities. You know, I think being a big anchor system in a state like West Virginia, there is such an opportunity maybe for other, you know, states similar to West Virginia, to kind of model off of the work that you are doing. </p> <p> 00:09:07:04 - 00:09:29:22<br> Jordan Steiger<br> One of the things you mentioned at the beginning, you know, talking about your different implementations is, you know, how you work one on one with this primary care physician in a rural community in West Virginia. I love this. I think this is such a smart way to just spread that knowledge and help - like you said - just bring that access to care to communities where it wouldn't maybe be. </p> <p> 00:09:29:24 - 00:09:51:18<br> Jordan Steiger<br> You alluded to this at the beginning too, but we know that behavioral health provision, you know, for services, is a little different sometimes than primary care. So how can other child and adolescent psychiatrists model kind of the work that you're doing and empower other primary care clinicians to be more confident in treating children with behavioral health needs? </p> <p> 00:09:51:20 - 00:10:23:15<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> Great question. And this has taken time to develop for myself. Getting little bits of information about someone and formulating a diagnosis and plan can be really difficult and a little scary. So learning the ways that primary care providers can communicate with you in the same language. So sometimes our primary care providers and our psychiatrist are speaking different languages. </p> <p> 00:10:23:17 - 00:10:57:09<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> One way that we can speak the same language and get the same information is if by using screening tools. And we are using screening tools in primary care a lot, right? We're using the PHQ. We're using the Gad seven and the scared for anxiety. We're using the Vanderbilt for ADHD. We're doing that. And that can be a great way to get the information that you need and communicate it with each other, primary care and psychiatry and follow the care. So we can use those to help support diagnosis. </p> <p> 00:10:57:11 - 00:11:17:18<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> We can use those to help follow the care and see if we're getting better. Because one thing about psychiatry in general is that our responses aren't always immediate and they're not big. You don't go from sore throat to no sore throat, right? You have incremental improvement. </p> <p> 00:11:17:21 - 00:11:47:05<br> Jordan Steiger<br> Absolutely. And just making it objective, like you said, it's not like you have sore throat and no sore throat. It could be a lot of time, a lot of different interventions, a lot of different experimentation with lots of different things to get that person to that right care plan in psychiatry. So I think that that's a great takeaway message for our listeners is just figuring out what is that shared language and how can we come to kind of the middle and understanding each other between psychiatry and primary care </p> <p> 00:11:47:05 - 00:11:59:15<br> Jordan Steiger<br> so I love that. As we start to close, what advice would you have for other health systems who are looking to integrate behavioral health into their other models of care? </p> <p> 00:11:59:17 - 00:12:28:24<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> Support it. I am super grateful to WVU for supporting my work. I am grateful to other hospitals that I've worked at for supporting behavioral health integration. It doesn't always pay upfront, but the improvements on the end in quality of life, hospital visits, hospitalizations and other needs are significant. So that prevention piece is really powerful. </p> <p> 00:12:28:26 - 00:12:34:16<br> Jordan Steiger<br> I absolutely agree. Thank you so much. Is there anything else you'd like to add? </p> <p> 00:12:34:18 - 00:12:57:24<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> Thank you for having me. I really appreciate this. It is something I've been doing in the background for quite some time, and I know that individually, each primary care provider I work with is grateful their patients are getting what they need, and they are also grateful for this program. But I don't always get to talk about it. </p> <p> 00:12:57:27 - 00:13:06:12<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> Because behavioral health can be something that we don't talk about a lot. So I really appreciate that you've given us this time and spotlight to do it. </p> <p> 00:13:06:15 - 00:13:17:23<br> Jordan Steiger<br> We are so happy to do so. I love talking about behavioral health and getting to help other people share their stories. So, we are really excited to keep following your work and see what comes next. </p> <p> 00:13:17:25 - 00:13:19:10<br> Adrienne Coopey, D.O.<br> Thank you. </p> <p> 00:13:19:13 - 00:13:27:24<br> Tom Haederle<br> Thanks for listening to Advancing Health. Please subscribe and rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. </p> </details></div> Fri, 30 May 2025 08:25:00 -0500 Access to Behavioral Health /news/headline/2025-05-29-video-highlights-corewell-healths-impact-bringing-behavioral-health-care-michigan-schools <p>A new AHA video highlights how Corewell Health is transforming youth behavioral health care access in rural Michigan through school-based clinics and telemedicine. Now active in 18 schools and growing, the health system’s pioneering model is changing lives by keeping kids in school, supporting emotional well-being and connecting communities to the help they need. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLorDolgwSM" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH NOW</strong></a></p> Thu, 29 May 2025 14:39:13 -0500 Access to Behavioral Health /infographics/fast-facts-behavioral-health-infographic <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2025/05/2025-Fast-Facts-Behavioral-Health-Infographic.pdf" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the Fast Facts: Behavioral Health 2025 Infographic PDF."><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/2025-Fast-Facts-Behavioral-Health-Infographic.jpg" data-entity-uuid="0688cfea-996a-44e0-a676-0a8a7e09dfc4" data-entity-type="file" alt="Fast Facts Behavioral Health 2025 Infographic. Defining Behavioral Health. Behavioral health conditions included both mental illness and substance use disorders. Specialty behavioral health hospitals, as well as community hospitals with behavioral health services, provide unique treatment programs to meet the health needs of patients with behavioral health conditions. 662: Number of specialty behavioral health hospitals in the U.S. in 2023. 11% of all hospitals were speciality behavioral health hospitals. 26: Increase in number of behavioral health hospitals since 2029. U.S. specialty behavioral health hospitals, 2023: Psychiatric 89% (N=92); Children's psychiatric 6% (N=42); Substance use disorder 4% (N=24); Intellectual disabilities 1% (N=4). Community hospitals provide a variety of psychiatric health services, 2023: Inpatient 30%; Outpatient 31%; Intensive outpatient 15%; Emergency 38%; Partial hospitalization 12%; Crisis prevention 28%; Geriatric 17%; Pediatric 11%; Prenatal and postpartum 12%; Social and community 12%; Suicide prevention 31%; Education services 25%; Medicated assisted treatment for opioid use disorder 20%; Medicated assisted treatment for other substance abuse disorders 17%; Consultation/liaison services 42%." width="792" height="1224"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-4"><div class="external-link spacer"><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/statistics/fast-facts-us-hospitals" target="_blank">See More Fast Facts on U.S. Hospitals</a></div><div><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/infographics/2024-01-18-fast-facts-us-hospitals-infographics" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the Fast Facts: U.S. Hospitals 2025 Infographics">View the Fast Facts: U.S. Hospitals 2025 Infographics</a></div><div><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/infographics/2021-05-24-fast-facts-us-rural-hospitals-infographic" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the Fast Facts: U.S. Rural Hospitals 2024 Infographic.">View the Fast Facts: U.S. Rural Hospitals 2024 Infographic</a></div><div><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/infographics/2021-01-15-fast-facts-us-health-systems-infographic" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the Fast Facts: U.S. Rural Hospitals 2024 Infographic.">View the Fast Facts: U.S. Health Systems 2024 Infographic</a></div><div><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/infographics/2022-04-19-obstetrics-us-rural-hospitals-infographic" target="_blank" title="Click here to down the Obstetrics: U.S. Rural Hospitals Infographic PDF. Rural hospitals provide access to obstetrical care close to home for millions of Americans. But now, that crucial lifeline is being threatened.">Obstetrics: U.S. Rural Hospitals Infographic</a></div><div><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2022/10/Fast-Facts-Behavioral-Health-Infographic-11x17.pdf" target="_blank" title="Click here to down the 2022 Fast Facts: Behavioral Health Infographic PDF.">2023 Fast Facts: Behavioral Health Infographic</a></div></div></div></div> Wed, 21 May 2025 11:32:53 -0500 Access to Behavioral Health /news/headline/2025-05-14-aha-podcast-improving-behavioral-health-older-adults-lessons-henry-ford-health <p>Zaira Khalid, M.D., senior staff geriatric psychiatrist at Henry Ford Behavioral Health Hospital, discusses the unique physical, emotional and social needs of patients over 65, the hospital’s compassionate and multidisciplinary approach to whole-person care, and how to recognize the silent struggles of older loved ones and provide support. <a href="/advancing-health-podcast/2025-05-14-improving-behavioral-health-older-adults-lessons-henry-ford-health"><strong>LISTEN NOW </strong></a></p> Wed, 14 May 2025 16:06:01 -0500 Access to Behavioral Health /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2025-05-13-exploring-benefits-pediatric-mental-health-urgent-care-centers <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Exploring-the-Benefits-of-Pediatric-Mental-Health-Urgent-Care-Centers.png" data-entity-uuid="bb36efaf-1cde-49fb-a241-9cb91ab3b6f7" data-entity-type="file" alt="Exploring the Benefits of Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Centers. Rendering of the Brighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Center." width="1200" height="751"><p>With relatively little fanfare, the <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/childrens-hospital/behavioral-health-wellness/pediatric-mental-health-urgent-care" target="_blank" title="University of Rochester Medicine/Golisano Children's Hospital: Brighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Center landing page">Brighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Center</a> in Western New York opened its doors last June, giving those younger than 18 the ability to get care with no appointment.</p><p>The center, which is part of <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/childrens-hospital" target="_blank" title="University of Rochester Medicine: Golisano Children's Hospital landing page">Golisano Children’s Hospital (GCH)</a>, serves walk-in patients from noon to 7 p.m. seven days a week and treats as many as 3,000 patients a year. Its 15 patient rooms are staffed by 30 caregivers, including mental health counselors, social workers, nurses, psychologists, case managers and support staff.</p><p>The family-centered clinic also is the only one of its kind outside the New York City region, giving greater access to care at a time when it is badly needed, Michael Scharf, M.D., psychiatrist-in-chief at GCH, noted in the report about the center’s launch.</p><h2>Meeting Patients Where They Are</h2><p>Across the nation, more and more hospitals and health systems are expanding access to treat the rapidly growing numbers of children and adults in crisis who need mental health services. More than 20 mental health urgent care centers had opened in the last year from Colorado to Virginia, notes a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/urgent-care-centers-spring-up-to-speed-mental-health-care-78d4b0ab" target="_blank" title="The Wall Street Journal: America’s Mental Health Is Worsening. Special Urgent-Care Clinics Step In.">Wall Street Journal report</a> from April 2024.</p><p>Sites like these are starting to change the landscape of mental health treatment, offering another important option in the care continuum.</p><p>In addition, urgent psychiatric assessment, treatment and healing units, mobile crisis teams and other efforts are offering prompt assistance and critical referrals for ongoing care.</p><p>Behavioral health urgent care clinics are designed to fill critical gaps in nonemergency mental health services, providing rapid access to assessment and short-term mental health treatment. Patients can either walk in or schedule a same-day appointment, making it easier to access help when it’s needed most.</p><h2>The Growing Need for Urgent Access Points</h2><p>Anxiety disorders were the most prevalent mental health diagnosis in 2023, accounting for 18.3% of the 10 most common mental health diagnoses tracked, with generalized anxiety disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder leading the way, <a href="https://www.definitivehc.com/blog/mental-health-services-in-urgent-care" target="_blank" title="Definitive Healthcare: Mental health finds a new home in urgent care centers">data from Definitive Healthcare</a> show. They were followed by depressive disorders and substance-use disorders.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.childrenshospitals.org/news/newsroom/2021/11/childrens-hospitals-declare-national-emergency-in-childrens-mental-health" target="_blank" title="Children's Hospital Association: Children's Hospitals Declare National Emergency in Children's Mental Health">Children’s Hospital Association</a> also reported a substantial rise in visits to emergency departments (EDs) for mental health treatment among children during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels, including cases concerning self-harm and suicide. Demand for emergency behavioral health services has remained elevated since the peak of the pandemic and many continue to struggle with worsened mental health, notes the Definitive Healthcare report. Many patients who need nonemergency care often turn to EDs because other access points to behavioral health care may not be available.</p><p>Hospitals and health systems are stepping up to meet the need for greater access to behavioral health. <a href="https://www.ssmhealth.com/services/behavioral-health" target="_blank" title="SSM Health: Behavioral Health Servicesd landing page">SSM Health</a>, based in St. Louis, opened its <a href="https://www.ssmhealth.com/newsroom/blogs/ssm-health-matters/august-2020/new-ssm-health-behavioral-health-urgent-care" target="_blank" title="SSM Health: Behavioral Health Urgent Care reflects SSM Health’s commitment to the whole person – and all communities">first mental health urgent care center</a> in 2020 to help alleviate the pressure on EDs, with a <a href="https://www.stlpr.org/health-science-environment/2024-08-19/ssm-health-opens-mental-health-urgent-care-to-ease-strain-on-emergency-rooms" target="_blank" title="STLPR: SSM Health opens mental health urgent care to ease strain on emergency rooms">second clinic following in 2024</a>. Collaborating with various community partners, these centers provide a place where people in crisis can receive same-day professional care.</p><p><a href="https://www.luriechildrens.org/en/specialties-conditions/pediatric-psychiatrist-psychologist/" target="_blank" title="Ann & robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago: Pediatric Psychiatry & Psychology">Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago</a> offers mental health urgent care through its immediate care locations, including a virtual option. It also has a dedicated inpatient psychiatric services program for more intensive needs. For urgent mental health needs, families also can use the <a href="https://www.luriechildrens.org/en/specialties-conditions/telemedicine/virtual-immediate-care/" target="_blank" title="Ann & robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago: Virtual Immediate Care">virtual immediate care service</a>, which can assess the situation and escalate care if necessary.</p><h2>Report Cites 3 Benefits of Mental Health Urgent Care Centers</h2><p>The Definitive Healthcare report highlights the following benefits:</p><h3><span>1</span> <span>|</span> Immediate Access to Care</h3><p>Many people seeking mental health care in traditional settings often encounter long wait times, sometimes stretching for months, which can delay the support they need and exacerbate psychiatric conditions. In addition, 53% of psychologists reported that they did not have openings for new patients, according to the <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/2024/practitioner-pulse-2024-full-report.pdf" target="_blank" title="American Psychological Association: Barriers to Care in a Changing Practice Environment: 2024 Practitioner Pulse Survey">American Psychological Association’s 2024 Practitioner Pulse Survey</a>.</p><h3><span>2</span> <span>|</span> Connecting Patients to Ongoing Care</h3><p>Beyond crisis intervention, these clinics can play a role in connecting patients to ongoing treatment for mental health or substance-use disorders. After an initial assessment and stabilization, clinicians can refer individuals to therapists, psychiatrists and community resources, ensuring that they receive the continued support they need.</p><h3><span>3</span> <span>|</span> Easing Stress on Emergency Departments</h3><p>About 8% of ED cases are related to mental health issues. At the same time, many patients who need nonemergency care often turn to EDs because other access points to behavioral health care may not be available. By offering readily available nonemergency mental health care in urgent care centers specifically designed for these needs, health systems can help both patients and mental health providers, the report concludes.</p><h2>Learn More</h2><p><em>Visit the </em><a href="/advocacy/access-and-health-coverage/access-behavioral-health"><em>AHA Behavioral Health website</em></a><em> to access a wealth of resources, including reports on child and adolescent mental health, rural behavioral health issues and more.</em></p></div><div class="col-md-4"><p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" width="721" height="130" data-entity- type="file" class="align-center"></a></p><p><a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type alt width="360" height="300"></a></p></div></div></div>.field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } h2 { color: #9d2235; } Tue, 13 May 2025 06:15:00 -0500 Access to Behavioral Health /role-hospitals-intermountain-primary-childrens-hospital-opens-new-autism-clinic <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-6"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-05/ths-intermountain-childrens-autism-clinic-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Intermountain Health. A young boy sits stacking blocks as a carer looks on" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital has opened a new Applied Behavior Analysis Clinic in Riverton, Utah, that aims to address the growing need for autism services in the community. The clinic offers early intensive services such as behavioral assessments, individual therapy, and group therapy for children aged 2-6 years old and is part of the Primary Promise campaign to build a model health system for children, ensuring that families have access to essential autism care.</p><p>“We want children with autism and their families to know that we’re with you on this journey,” said Katy Welkie, chief executive officer of Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital and vice president of Intermountain Children’s Health. “With expanded autism services, we can help children thrive.”</p><p>Made possible with a substantial donation from a Utah philanthropist and her family, the new clinic represents a significant step in closing the care gap for autism services in Utah and surrounding states, where there has historically been a shortage of programs and providers. Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital is committed to supporting children with autism and their families, helping them connect to the necessary treatments and services.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://ebu.intermountainhealthcare.org/video/live/intermountain-pc-autism.aspx?j=2403902&sfmc_sub=265543256&l=238325_HTML&u=41337188&mid=515013760&jb=9003">LEARN MORE</a></p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/community-benefit">Benefiting Communities</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Thu, 01 May 2025 14:56:36 -0500 Access to Behavioral Health /infographic-realities-behavioral-health-older-adults <div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><p>The ���������� Association has a long-standing commitment to support member efforts to deliver high-quality, accessible behavioral health services to patients of all ages. However, older adults can have circumstances that exacerbate the challenges to accessing behavioral health care, such as physical health decline, loss of loved ones and social isolation. Download and explore this resource to learn more about the challenges and how hospitals can enhance support older adults’ behavioral health.</p><p class="text-align-center"><a href="/system/files/media/file/2025/04/older-adult-behavioral-health-infographic.pdf" download="file" target="_blank"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-04/older-adult-behavioral-health-infographic-cover.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Infographic: The Realities of Behavioral Health in Older Adults page 1" width="667" height="862"></a></p><p class="text-align-center"><a href="/system/files/media/file/2025/04/older-adult-behavioral-health-infographic.pdf" download="file" target="_blank"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-05/older-adult-behavioral-health-infographic-p2.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Infographic: The Realities of Behavioral Health in Older Adults page 2" width="667" height="861"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-4"><p class="text-align-center"><a class="btn btn-primary btn-wide" href="/system/files/media/file/2025/04/older-adult-behavioral-health-infographic.pdf" target="_blank" title="click here to download Infographic: The Realities of Behavioral Health in Older Adults">Download Infographic</a></p></div></div> Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:56:29 -0500 Access to Behavioral Health /education-events/behavioral-health-challenges-and-partnership-impact <p><strong>Behavioral Health Challenges and Partnership Impact </strong><br><em>Improve Clinical and Operational Performance with Expert Tools, Resources and Training</em></p><p><strong>Thursday, May 15, 2025  </strong><br><em>1 - 2 p.m. Eastern; noon - 1 p.m. Central; 10 - 11 a.m. Pacific</em></p><div class="webreplay"> .webreplay{ border: solid 2px #777; padding: 15px 5px; margin: 0 0 10px 15px; } @media (min-width:360px){ .webreplay{ min-width: 290px; float: right; } } <h2 class="text-align-center"><small>On-demand Webinar</small></h2> MktoForms2.loadForm("//sponsors.aha.org", "710-ZLL-651", 4556);</div><p>There are many challenges to operating a hospital behavioral health inpatient unit. Understanding the common challenges and their impact on the overall viability of a hospital’s behavioral health program is crucial.</p><p>In this webinar, you’ll hear a case study from a hospital that struggled for many years to improve its behavioral health’s clinical and operational performance. After a thorough assessment of their internal and external partnership options, the hospital's leadership made the proactive decision to partner with Horizon Health to manage the unit. This collaboration was aimed at identifying and addressing the root causes of the behavioral health program’s sub-optimal performance, ultimately leading to significant improvements in their behavioral health department. Learn how the hospital approached its challenges, learned from its experiences and started making progress towards improvement. Positive results included process improvement acceleration, leadership and staff development, best practices creation, policy and procedure updates, and improvements in access to care and patient outcomes. Join us to learn how having access to a team of experts providing tools, resources and training can help optimize clinical and operational performance to improve care and access for your communities.  </p><p><strong>Attendees Will Learn: </strong></p><ul><li>Common challenges impeding high performance in your inpatient behavioral health department.  </li><li>How to improve the quality of care and expand access to behavioral health services in your community by effectively addressing challenges and implementing necessary updates. </li><li>How to optimize performance through a partnership model providing expert tools, resources and training.</li></ul><p><strong>Speaker(s):  </strong></p><p>Jackie Anhalt, MS, MSN, RN, NEA-BC <br><em>Chief Nursing Officer </em><br><strong>ThedaCare </strong></p> Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:16:33 -0500 Access to Behavioral Health