UofL Well being – Peace Hospital and UofL Physicians are extending entry to behavioral well being providers to the fingertips of these in want of assist. PeaceNow leverages telehealth expertise to assist suppliers, faculty counselors and social employees refer sufferers, college students and purchasers for evaluation. PeaceNow doesn’t substitute acute/disaster degree intervention supplied by emergency departments, Peace Hospital and 911, however it could actually considerably scale back wait time and expedite care.
“The window of time when persons are keen to just accept behavioral well being assist is typically slim,” mentioned Kelly Gillooly, M. Ed., LCADC, UofL Well being system director of Behavioral Well being. “With PeaceNow, the 3-4 month ready interval has been diminished to days and eradicated in some circumstances. The digital setting permits us to see many referred sufferers instantly or on the identical day.”
A PeaceNow pilot program started in July 2022, opening first to referrals from UofL Physicians. In its first six months, greater than 1,200 sufferers have been served. At this time, referrals are accepted from all suppliers, psychological well being therapists, faculty counselors and social employees in Jefferson County and surrounding Kentucky counties. Future plans embody including Indiana counties, following regulatory approvals.
“Bodily well being and behavioral well being can’t be separated. One influences the opposite and I see the affect of each with my sufferers,” mentioned Traci Edwards, M.D., UofL Physicians – Main Care. “Main care physicians are ideally suited to refer for behavioral assessments since we all know they have already got the relationships, know the well being historical past and are positioned all throughout the neighborhood.”
Referrals to PeaceNow are open to sufferers age 12 and above with a variety of psychological and substance use considerations, together with:
- Despair
- Nervousness
- ADHD
- Substance use issues
- Bipolar dysfunction
- Schizophrenia
- Trauma
- Grief
- Different psychological well being
“People searching for care for his or her psychological well being are sometimes met with lengthy wait occasions earlier than they obtain applicable therapy. This delay will increase the chance that their signs and situation could worsen earlier than care is supplied,” mentioned Nancy Brooks, government director of the Nationwide Alliance on Psychological Sickness, Louisville chapter. “The entry to extra instant skilled care that’s now being supplied by way of PeaceNow will assist many people bridge the hole between the onset of psychological well being considerations and correct analysis and therapy.”
Telebehavioral well being assessments, by way of PeaceNow will probably be carried out by a scientific psychologist or a licensed therapist, with further referrals to the suitable degree of care. Some temporary remedy can also happen over the telehealth platform. All care will probably be supervised by psychiatrists and psychiatric APRN’s, who can even present scientific providers to sufferers.
“The digital evaluation could not solely substitute the necessity for in-person remedy, however it’s a crucial new entry level,” mentioned Robert Caudill, M.D., UofL Physicians – Psychiatry and Despair Middle and professor of psychiatry at College of Louisville. “By launching PeaceNow, we hope to make behavioral well being extra accessible and expedite the connection of sufferers to definitive care.”
Older adults could also be referred by way of PeaceNow to the Republic Financial institution Basis Optimum Growing older Clinic on the College of Louisville Trager Institute.
“Our focus on the Trager Institute is on older adults. It’s estimated that 20% of individuals age 55 or older expertise some kind of psychological well being concern, similar to anxiousness, extreme cognitive impairment, melancholy or bipolar dysfunction,” mentioned Anna Faul, Ph.D., government director of the institute. “Combining the PeaceNow crew and the Trager crew, we imagine that we’re filling a void in our neighborhood that may result in higher well being outcomes sooner or later.”
Extra info on PeaceNow is accessible by way of your major care supplier, psychological well being therapist, faculty counselor, social employee or at: UofLHealth.org/packages/peacenow/.
