Bringing Needed Care to Rural PA – The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Geisinger

Bringing Needed Care to Rural PA – The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Geisinger

the department of psychiatry and behavioral health at Gisinger grew in the last multiple years since 2017 to serve the needs of the community Gisinger has invested a huge amount of resources and skill set and recruitment effort to really be able to serve a large area and up to 23 counties All of them happen to be one way or another in a shortage area from a mental health perspective So Gaziger has heavily invested in mental health and as a department we have been trying to deliver on that promise of providing the best care for our patients in our catchment areas and as soon as possible and to serve the community the way it deserves to be served We’re really fortunate being a rural system to have a full continuum of care We have services on the inpatient side with brand new facilities 96 bed inpatient facilities consult service outpatient and integrated care So for a rural setting for us to have all those services is really unique So some of the options that we have here at Gisinger are in-person services where traditional you’d walk into an office you’d be checked in and you’d see your your behavioral health specialist that way Or we have options that relate to the teleaalth world Some locations have carts where patients are physically in the office They get put on a monitor and they interact with their uh provider directly over the video Or sometimes we have the the video from home where the provider could be in another state for instance and the patient just gets to stay in the comfort of their own home Boy we just have a huge workforce shortage where we’re at One of the counties we serve in has one therapist And so if we were to grow organically with in-person services we would be so shortly understaffed for the demand So what we’ve done is we’ve hired virtual providers from throughout the United States 14 states to be exact um to come and engage in care in our communities We didn’t want it to feel like a purchase service and something that was standalone We want them to truly feel like they’re a part of Guisinger and a part of this community Teles psychiatry has helped me do my job better because I’m able to reach patients where they’re at I see a lot of patients who otherwise wouldn’t have access to care For example people who live in rural areas with limited access to things like transportation or time off from work or limited ability to leave their homes because of things like physical disabilities or child care reasons And so it’s really hard for patients under those circumstances to take the time to come to a clinic to get health care So I’m able to meet them where they’re at and deliver the type of care that they deserve and need And I can do that through a virtual care The feedback that I get from patients is that virtual care is really fantastic It’s really not much different from a regular psychiatry appointment but for patients who have limited access to a hospital or a clinic they’re able to access care from the safety and comfort of their home or their work or their car as long as it’s parked So they can access care where they otherwise might not be able to I think that providers are excited to work with Gisinger because we can offer a lot of different opportunities than just your traditional outpatient practice So we have a lot of diversity in the ways that we practice There are many different versions We are able to work in teleahalth We’re able to work in person We’re able to do both at the same time We’re able to see patients where they are We’re able to virtually get into their schools and get into their communities and do things that I don’t think we could do in a a traditional type of behavioral health practice I think providers also like the ability to collaborate in a different kind of a way We don’t have the same hallways that we would in a traditional practice And so we can get together virtually and we can make meetings happen where we talk about our patients We can send each other messages and really understand what’s going on in a different way And I think it provides a different challenge to our workday that is invigorating at times So here at Gisinger we collaborate mostly through virtual means with our team and that’s how we set our goals and then measure our successes with that So we have the ability to meet with people from all over the country if need be We integrate with our IT partners We integrate with our clinical partners to come to the same goals and have the same and celebrate the success that we have We have providers that live in California or Georgia or Texas How do they understand what it looks like in rural Pennsylvania so we’ve actually taken the time and the opportunity to invite them in and we’re all visiting together We’re connecting and we’re collaborating and we’re going to see the community We’re getting to see what it looks like in the offices We’re getting to see what it looks like to drive around town And I think those are the ways that we’re really going to be able to help our providers understand the people they’re treating even if they don’t live in the community in which they’re serving One of the things that Guisinger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health offers is a multitude of educational and academic programs with a hope to train the future mental health clinicians for our patients As the research will tell you the rural areas and the underserved areas in the United States have a hard time recruiting quality mental health providers which adds to the issues with access and the quality of care that the patients get At Gisinger Department of Psychiatry we have just started a residency program that will start in July of 2025 recruiting psychiatry residents from all over the country and the world And in addition to other programs that we are very proud to have such as our psychology internship and postdoc fellowship our social work fellowship and our addiction medicine fellowship Future’s great with guys We’ve invested deeply in mental health services We’re opening opening a second 96 bed hospital in August this year that will bring for the first time child and adolescent care to central Pennsylvania Currently if you have a child in crisis you’re going to be sending them three hours away to Pittsburgh or Philly But being able to bring child and adolescent psychiatry into our communities really fulfills the mission of our founder to bring these needed services to rural [Music] Pennsylvania Thanks for watching But now an important disclaimer The content of this video is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment Viewers should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions

Geisinger, an integrated health system serving rural central Pennsylvania, is addressing the critical need for mental health care in underserved communities by expanding Behavioral Health services through virtual care. By creating surge capacity and integrating virtual providers into locally aligned multidisciplinary teams—known as virtual Integrated Practice Units (vIPUs)—Geisinger enhances both inpatient and outpatient care. This innovative approach, inspired by Harvard Business Review’s “The Strategy That Will Fix Healthcare,” connects virtual and local providers to deliver coordinated, community-focused care. Through this model, Geisinger is ensuring that virtual care becomes a seamless part of the healthcare continuum, strengthening access and support for patients at risk.