One of our priorities is reimagining behavioral health services and partnering with other organizations to increase access to mental health support.
Here are a few examples of our innovative programs and partnerships.
START
In 2021, the Specialized Treatments and Recovery Team (START) Program was launched to provide access to urgent mental health and addiction services.
In fiscal year 2023, the START team cared for 1,742 unique patients through 8,766 visits with services ranging from psychiatry and therapy to recovery support and peer support.
Nearly 200 visits focused specifically on individuals who needed help navigating community-based services to overcome social determinants of health challenges.
This unique model of care kept patients from needing to seek help from the hospital emergency room over 2,700 times in fiscal year 2023.
This innovative clinic engages with nearly 100 community organizations through partnership and outreach to deliver coordinated services to people with justice involvement and connect them to health care and social supports.
Collective action through this partnership has delivered great results:
- starting 134 patients with substance use disorder on medication-assisted treatment (MAT), an evidenced based pharmaceutical intervention
- providing 84 patients experiencing food-insecurity with 639 shelf-stable meals and navigation support to community-based resources
- providing 40 neighbors in need with hygiene kits
- supplying more than 650 bus passes and car rides to patients with transportation barriers
Our shared care model
Across our communities, we’re reimagining behavioral healthcare and finding better ways to connect primary care and behavioral health teams to respond promptly to the needs of patients. This shared care model provides support for adults, teens and children five years and older.
The shared care teams partner with 60 family medicine, internal medicine, geriatric, pediatric and sports medicine practices to serve our patients better by:
- clarifying diagnoses
- managing medications or alternatives to medicine
- performing psychiatric evaluations
- coordinating brief therapy sessions
- connecting patients to long-term care as needed
