WellSpan Health is expanding its mobile crisis care next month to better serve patients with behavioral health needs.
WellSpan Health said it will be the only provider of mobile crisis care as of April 1.
WellSpan Health and TrueNorth Wellness Services both currently provide crisis services in York and Adams Counties. Beginning April 1, WellSpan will be the sole provider of these services.
With the expansion of these services, WellSpan will employ an innovative strategy that utilizes mobile crisis care. When a community member calls the WellSpan Crisis Services telephone line, they will be routed to counselors to help determine if a patient should see a WellSpan counselor in an outpatient setting or go to the Emergency Department.
“We are excited to expand crisis services to serve the residents of both York and Adams counties and help those in need of mental health assistance,” said Dr. Shannon Gordon, vice president, WellSpan Behavioral Health. “We believe this expansion will allow us to provide more personalized care to patients in the community, and in a more timely and efficient manner.”
WellSpan’s mobile crisis counselors will respond directly to patients where they are located, including schools and personal homes. This will benefit both emergency departments as well as the patient who will receive more timely and personalized care in an outpatient environment.
“Our experience is that 80% of people who contact WellSpan when they are having a mental health or substance use crisis do not need emergency department care and can get better faster when they are served in community, not hospital, settings,” Gordon said. “We are excited to expand our ability to provide personalized care and support to residents of York and Adams counties in this new way.”
WellSpan Crisis Services can be reached at (717) 851-5320 or (800) 673-2496. WellSpan’s crisis support services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
WellSpan Assertive Community Treatment Program staff cut the ribbon on the new facility at 150 Roosevelt Ave., York – PHOTO/PROVIDED
WellSpan Assertive Community Treatment Program opened to patients at its newly renovated, larger location at 150 Roosevelt Ave. in York Friday.
The center provides behavioral health services to adults experiencing severe and persistent mental illness, primarily schizophrenia, major mood disorder or psychosis.
Research from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill shows that one in five Americans experience some form of mental health challenge during life, and five or six every 100 Americans experience a severe mental illness. Many patients with severe mental illness have co-occurring problems, such as substance abuse, homelessness, or are involved in the judicial system.
“We know that recovery is possible for anyone, even those with really challenging mental health conditions.” said Dr. Shannon Gordon, vice president, WellSpan Behavioral Health. “Behavioral health challenges do not take a break, and neither do we. Our services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide help when our patients need it most, and ACT services include medical care, teaching skills for successful recovery and linking patients to needed resources.”
WellSpan’s York ACT program was established in August 2022, when WellSpan was chosen to take the reins of a program discontinued by another provider. To prevent a lapse in care for dozens of patients with immediate mental health needs, the program was initially launched at WellSpan office space in the Loretta Claiborne Building on South George Street. The new facility can treat up to 64 patients, WellSpan said.
The Roosevelt Avenue location features two additional private offices, three group rooms, and a kitchenette that can help assist patients with their daily living skills, like being able to prepare meals for themselves.
Services offered at the new 3,200-square-foot suite include assessments, client centered treatment plans, medication management and distribution, individual and group therapies, social and interpersonal relationship training, peer support, and crisis and diversion services.
“Psychiatry seeks to honor patients’ stories and life experiences,” said Dr. Rosemary Keffer, psychiatrist, York ACT. “This approach at York ACT helps us deliver comprehensive, highly individualized care to give patients the best path possible to move forward.”
Wellness in the workplace has always been about encouraging healthy diets, exercise and overall care of the body.
But the COVID pandemic has shown that is it much more.
David Swift
David Swift, senior vice president and chief human resource officer, Penn State Health, told a gathering of health care and insurance professionals Tuesday at the Central Penn Business Journal Health Care Summit in Harrisburg that companies need to think about wellness differently, “through a different lens.”
The state of virtual health care and the mental and behavioral health care crisis were also addressed during the morning-long summit attended by about 80 professionals.
Swift outlined eight dimensions of wellness for business leaders to consider. Physical wellness, which he said has long been a consideration, encourages employees to take care of their physical well-being.
But that’s just the start, he said. Social wellness, meaning connection, took a spotlight when everyone was working remotely. “COVID’s impact more than anything showed the importance of socializing,” he said.
Other dimensions include occupational wellness where employees are recognized for achievements; environmental wellness creating a stimulating environment for workers; financial wellness offering security and education around finances; intellectual wellness allowing people to continue to learn and grow; emotional wellness that allows people to have hope even when their brain tells them there isn’t; and spiritual wellness, whether religious or holistic.
“It doesn’t cost companies a lot to address these,” he said, adding it is important to find out what employees need by asking, not assuming.
“You need to continue to evolve in this area to help everyone be successful,” he said. He used a tree as an example. When it comes to wellness, “there isn’t just one branch.
“The eight dimensions of wellness address the different seasons of life,” he said. “If you take care of your employees, you find the key to success.”
Virtual health care, which came to the forefront during the pandemic, has been around for at least 20 years, according to the panelists speaking on the subject.
But while it has been in use, reimbursement wasn’t always available.
Dr. Mark Jacobson, medical director, Pharmacy/Clinical Market Services, Highmark; Dr. Jason Marx, president, Medical Group, UPMC in Central Pa.; and Faraaz Yousuf, executive vice president and COO, WellSpan – Photo by Rebekah McClelland
Dr. Mark Jacobson, medical director, Pharmacy/Clinical Market Services for Highmark, said Highmark has changed its reimbursement policy to equal in-person visits.
During COVID, from February 2020 to April 2020, there was a 5,000% increase in tele visits. Specifically, he said, there were 75,000 visits between March and December 2019. Visits increased to 3 million between March and December 2020. “It was an explosion,” he said.
In addition, he said some telling data showed that of the visits in 2019, 23% were for behavioral health. That jumped to 54% in 2020.
The bottom line to virtual visits is the reimbursement. Dr. Jason Marx, president, Medical Group, UPMC in Central Pennsylvania, said there was no compensation to grow programs before COVID. “The hospitals had to pay” to provide the service.
Now, he said, insurance companies have changed so now the services are covered.
“We’ve just scratched the surface,” said Faraaz Yousuf, executive vice president and COO, WellSpan. “There is unlimited potential to improve care and lower costs,” he said.
The key is finding “the sweet spot” between virtual visits and in person consultations, he added.
This is especially true in behavioral health. “The stigma is gone with telehealth because you no longer have to walk into a building where people know where you are going,” said Marx. “It increases access.”
Karie Batzler, director of Behavioral Health, Capital Blue Cross; Tracey Lavellias, executive director, Behavioral Health Service Line, Penn Medicine, Lancaster General Hospital; and Jennifer Jordan, vice president, Regulatory Advocacy, HAP – Photo by Rebekah McClelland
Tracey Lavallias, executive director, Behavioral Health Services Line, Penn Medicine, Lancaster General Hospital, said telehealth can help too because there is a lack of providers for people not needing in-patient care.
“It’s an access issue. Of the patients seen in the emergency department, 60% may not need impatient care but they need to find outpatient coverage and medication management,” he said. “But the waiting list is significant.”
Jennifer Jordan, vice president, Regulatory Advocacy, HAP, said demand for behavioral health services is displacing other services in hospitals making increased access a top priority.
“We are working on coordinating care,” said Karie Batzler, director of Behavioral Health, Capital Blue Cross. “During the pandemic it became obvious what’s been needed for years,” she said.
When looking at behavioral health, which includes substance abuse, the panelists said the medical community needs to look at what preventative care looks like. “We need to think ahead and take advantage of what is front and center,” Batzler said. “We need to get information to providers on how to look for this.”
They all agreed that the focus should start in the schools teaching how to identify when feelings are an issue and reduce the stigma of talking about it.
“If we teach and normalize this, when someone experiences it, they can identify it and deal with it. Then as adults they can continue, Lavallias said.
Jordan noted that Pennsylvania passed a one-time $100 million allocation to mental health in the budget. A meeting later this week will determine how it is used, she said.
“People aren’t comfortable talking about this,” said Batzler. “We need to take a risk” and ask for help when needed. “Employers can make a big difference here” by encouraging employees to do just that, she added.
Dr. Piro Rjepaj, associate chief of staff for Behavioral Health, addresses the attendants of the ribbon cutting for the Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic – PHOTO/PROVIDED
The Lebanon VA Medical Center has expanded and remodeled its Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic to provide care to veterans of Southcentral Pennsylvania.
Today, the center held a ribbon cutting ceremony to show off the remodel, which is the first phase of a scheduled three-phase plan for the 23,000-square-foot space.
This first phase renovated 8,500 square feet which includes 18 consultation rooms, one nurse triage station, three group rooms and a new waiting area with check-in space, the center said.
The $1.8 million space will host an interprofessional team of clinicians ready to support veterans in their behavioral health needs through therapeutic and evidence-based programming. The new clinic will offer veterans a comfortable space with a focus on reducing stress and anxiety while promoting timely access, collaborative care, and a focus on veteran recovery goals.
“By creating this space, we are improving the environment of care,” said Associate Chief of Staff Dr. Piro Rjepaj. “Our commitment to veterans is unshakable and unwavering. Our promise to them is to give our very best, every day, always; and our hope for them is to know first-hand the experience of healing, wholeness and peace.”
The Lebanon VA Medical Center is one of 170 medical centers in the nation with the sole purpose of providing world-class medical care to America’s veterans. Lebanon VAMC covers veterans in Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, Schuylkill and York counties.
Lebanon VAMC also oversees community clinics located in Mechanicsburg, Pottsville, Willow Street, Wyomissing and York.
Improving Pennsylvania’s health care workforce pipeline and the tools available to lessen the problem continue to be at the top of mind for the state’s health system leadership.
The state’s hospital leaders met this week in Harrisburg for the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania’s Annual Leadership Summit.
The summit marked the first time that the association’s members have sat together to discuss what they are doing since the last summit in 2019, said Andy Carter, Hospital Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) president and CEO.
The summit spanned two days, with many of its topics centering around the workforce shortage, something Carter said is impacting all health care systems across the state in some way.
“It is profound– we have high vacancy rates, and our hospitals are full,” he said, adding that the systems have been particularly focused on addressing shortages among nurses. “We cherish the work nurses do and we met to continue to identify strategies to retain existing nurses and create a pipeline for new nurses.”
The Wolf Administration announced in March that it would be allocating $225 million to support Pennsylvania’s health care workforce needs of hospitals and behavioral health providers as part of Act 2 of 2022, signed into law in January.
Summit speakers touched on a number of strategies that systems will need to look at as they tackle the problem of health care workforce shortages.
Carter said the association and its membership are grateful for the funds but that providers now need to look toward long-term solutions.
Solutions discussed at the summit included improving compensation among staff and in particular, understanding different generational needs among the nurse population.
“Some are looking for a really good retirement plan because they are 55, others are looking for loan forgiveness because they are 22 and fresh out of an expensive nursing program,” said Carter. “They are working harder to customize for different needs and to organize shifts with a much keener eye to the preferences of the nursing professionals and other clinicians.”
Carter also highlighted the workforce pipeline, noting that hospitals recognize that they will need to be creative in how they improve the pipeline by increasing access to more faculty and bettering nursing education programs.
Behavioral Health
Among workforce issues across hospitals, one of the more pressing issues lies in behavioral health, according to Carter.
Some of HAP’s member hospitals are so strapped for behavioral health professionals that at any given time a hospital can have dozens of patients in its emergency department that no longer need emergency care but are suffering an acute mental health crisis.
“These folks need specialized treatment in an inpatient or outpatient facility but there is no capacity,” said Carter. “They have to stay with us and that constrains our capacity. Right now we are essentially providing boarding services for them.”
This month, HAP wrote on behalf of its more than 235 member organizations to the state’s elected leaders, asking them to approve an increase of state funding for county mental health programs by at least $28 million and facilitate placement in post-acute care settings by including an additional $13 million to county mental health funding.
The letter also asked elected officials to require that Medicaid payment rates properly reflect the cost of complex cases, longer stays and resource-intensive treatments.
UPMC Hanover received a $1.5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant from the state to create a new secure behavioral health and crisis suite.
“Because of an increase in behavioral health and crisis patients over the past decade, this new suite will further help hospital staff provide care patients deserve,” said state Rep. Kate Klunk, R-Hanover, who helped secure the grant. “A person’s mental well-being is equally important as one’s physical well-being. I am glad to see UPMC Hanover taking this holistic approach in providing care to residents.”
The funding will be used to renovate an overflow area adjacent to the Emergency Department to create a secured Behavioral Health/Crisis pod with five rooms and a safe treatment and work area for staff with improved ability to monitor patients in a controlled setting. The pod will provide a safe space for patients who may be combative or pose a flight risk.
The project will also improve its Fast Track (low-acuity Emergency Department patients) program and the triage and intake process for emergency patients.
“This renovation is necessary to manage the growing population in the emergency department and to meet the needs of the ever-growing Hanover community,” said Michael Gaskins, president of UPMC Hanover & UPMC Memorial and senior vice president of UPMC in Central PA. “This also brings about an environment that better ensures the safety of our patients and clinical staff.”
Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grants address regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects. The program is administered by the Office of the Budget.
Ephrata-based Retreat Behavioral Health will open a mental health and substance abuse treatment center in Connecticut next week.
The Lancaster County health care system operates inpatient treatment centers in Lancaster County and Palm Springs, Florida. The new center, opening Jan. 9, in New Haven, Connecticut, will be its third.
The new facility is approximately 53,000 square feet, has 80 beds and is Retreat’s first inpatient facility built with mental health services in mind.
Connecticut was chosen for its newest facility because of the state’s high death rates from opioids, which were at a rate of 27.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017, twice the national average.
“We are prepared to hit the ground running in Connecticut to provide some relief to those who are suffering,” said Peter Schorr, Retreat Behavioral Health President and CEO. “With high-quality, affordable care, we aim to address the opioid epidemic, as well as all other growing substance abuse and mental health issues. By providing individualized care, a peaceful environment, and affordable treatment offerings, we aim to become the leading resource for this region.”
The new center will offer services such as rehabilitation, detox, intensive outpatient care and holistic therapy. Retreat’s new mental health services branch, Synergy Health Programs, will also offer services for mental health disorders like PTSD, depression and bipolar disorder from the center.
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WellSpan Health is expanding its mobile crisis care next month to better serve patients with behavioral health needs. 
