- Hospital Emergency Departments (EDs) struggle to provide timely mental health care under the strain of increased patient volume; communities suffer as a result
- Common Ground‘s Oakland Assessment and Crisis Intervention Service is transforming itself into a crisis stabilization unit, which provides swift access to behavioral health crisis services for those who need it while relieving pressure on EDs
- Array’s psychiatrists will assist Common Ground’s clinicians, speeding access to treatment while ensuring periods of high patient traffic do not overwhelm on-site staff
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. and PONTIAC, Mich., June 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Array Behavioral Care, the nation’s leading virtual psychiatry and therapy practice providing quality mental health services across the continuum of care, and Common Ground, a comprehensive crisis service organization delivering mental health care across Michigan, today announced an innovative partnership that expands access to crisis care in Michigan. Array’s telepsychiatrists will integrate with Common Ground’s Oakland Assessment and Crisis Intervention Service (OACIS) to expedite care and improve patient outcomes. With Michigan lawmakers mandating crisis stabilization services, OACIS is one of 15 crisis stabilization pilot sites assisting the state in developing its guidelines.
America is currently experiencing a mental health crisis. Vulnerable populations including children surge into EDs seeking care for acute behavioral health issues because long wait lists for other treatment options leave patients or their caretakers with no other choice. Reliance on the ED for quick care leads to overcrowding and delayed treatment, worsening outcomes.
Many mental health patients receive more appropriate care in community settings, leading to improved recovery times and overall well-being. To better treat those with mental illness in their own neighborhoods and connect people to the most appropriate care, forward-thinking organizations are launching innovative initiatives across the country to solve the crisis. Crisis stabilization services operate at the forefront of these efforts, treating people experiencing urgent mental health issues using nimble community-based teams.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) included Common Ground in its mental health crisis stabilization pilot cohort to help inform guidelines for a statewide crisis services system. With the OACIS pilot program, Common Ground aims to obtain Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) certification in the fall of 2024. The program will treat mental health patients in the most suitable environment based on their individual needs. CSUs are short-term alternatives to EDs and psychiatric inpatient admissions, designed for people who can be stabilized through treatment and recovery coaching within 72 hours.
Offering short-term and recovery-oriented psychiatric care as an alternative to inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, the OACIS pilot site includes medication management and monitoring, peer support, group therapy, nursing, coordination with family and other providers, and discharge planning. Array will support Common Ground with Michigan-licensed telepsychiatrists selected and trained for crisis services in behavioral health, providing thorough evaluations and reliable treatment for people experiencing a mental health emergency.
“Our relationship with Array’s psychiatrists is important to us. Common Ground needs on-demand access to psychiatric care where the psychiatrists are an extension of our team and respond quickly to the needs of people in crisis. When we have times of high volume, we need access to multiple psychiatrists at the same time, which we could not have managed without Array,” said Heather Rae, President & CEO of Common Ground.
The OACIS pilot site will combine Array’s OnDemand telepsychiatry services, which provide as-needed assessments, care, and consultations to rapidly determine the appropriate treatment for those in psychiatric crisis, with Common Ground’s specialization in crisis care, giving patients the best support possible based on their risk and disposition. The partnership also prevents patients from entering higher levels of care than necessary and keeps patients safe after they leave with detailed discharge plans.
“As one of the country’s most innovative community health organizations, Common Ground is changing the way mental health treatment is delivered in our communities by evolving crisis care pathways,” said Shannon Werb, CEO of Array Behavioral Care. “With Array’s licensed psychiatrists supporting the OACIS crisis stabilization services pilot site, our team’s capabilities are making a real impact in the lives of Michiganders with mental health issues, as well as their families and neighbors.”
Array and Common Ground both have long histories of innovation in behavioral health care. The Array team was an early champion of virtual mental health treatment and has provided telepsychiatry care for 25 years. Common Ground has operated in Michigan since 1971, and has evolved to provide crucial services including crisis intervention, virtual behavioral health urgent care, mobile crisis teams, facility-based crisis services, and more.
About Common Ground
Common Ground is a nonprofit organization that has served as an expert in behavioral health and crisis intervention since 1971. Through its comprehensive crisis continuum, Common Ground uses a trauma-informed approach to provide professional, compassionate services to over 165,000 people annually. “Helping people in crisis 24/7 is at the heart of everything we do.” For more information, visit www.CommonGroundHelps.org.
If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health emergency, call or text 988. To access Common Ground’s crisis services in Oakland County, Michigan call our Resource and Crisis Hub at 800-231-1127.
About Array Behavioral Care
Array Behavioral Care is the nation’s leading virtual psychiatry and therapy practice. As the leading mental health provider, Array is on a mission to transform access to quality, timely behavioral health care through innovative telepsychiatry solutions and services that span the entire care continuum, from the hospital to the home. Array partners with an extensive network of hospitals, health systems, community healthcare organizations, and payors to improve access and deliver the highest quality of care to patients. As a pioneer in the field, Array sets the standard for excellence in telepsychiatry while actively shaping industry advancements and advocating for regulatory enhancements that support the evolving needs of patients and providers. Discover more about accessible, comprehensive behavioral health care at www.arraybc.com.
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