Solutions for Behavioral Health
Organizations
Contact: Marshall Ellis, Director of
Outreach & Partnership Development, (212) 614-6376, mellis@mhaofnyc.org
MHA-NYC is a leader in developing innovative approaches to
address behavioral health needs. MHA-NYC has its roots in New York
City, but growing demand has resulted in a need for our innovative
services well beyond New York City's borders.
MHA-NYC's LifeNet is a leader in a
national effort to design, evaluate, and implement effective
behavioral health interventions using communication
technology-telephone, SMS texting, and real-time web chats-to
improve health outcomes of disengaged and high risk individuals by
getting, and keeping, them linked to care.
LifeNet can be an invaluable resource to Behavioral
Health Organizations seeking innovative, high quality,
cost-effective approaches to conducting concurrent review of
inpatient behavioral health services and coordinating the provision
of behavioral health services and other services available under
the medical assistance program.
Monitor, review and assess the use of behavioral
health inpatient care
• Outreach and engagement activities to support
patient engagement in treatment and to promote continuity of
care
• Evidence-based referrals and follow-up
services
• After-hours access to information and emergency
support
• Appointment reminders to ensure patients follow
through with treatment plans
• Post-discharge transitional technological case
management to support patient compliance with treatment plan,
promote engagement and improve continuity of care
• Outreach to re-engage patient, if needed
Children's outpatient SED tracking
• Support BHOs efforts to collect and track data
related to children diagnosed with SED
Profile providers
• Identify available community-based resources and
actively monitor appropriate referrals, access, engagement,
follow-up, and coordination of services
Facilitate cross-system linkage
• Support effective collaborations with
community-based resources
• Provide information on community-based and other
social support services and healthcare services that respond to the
patients' needs and preferences and contribute to achieving the
patients' goals
Technology is Key
Effectively harnessing technology to improve health
outcomes is at the heart of MHA-NYC's services and approach to
care. LifeNet's state-of-the-art infrastructure integrates
telephone, SMS texting, and web-based chat technology to provide
patients with multiple methods of communicating to improve their
likelihood of staying connected to care. Combined with
LifeNet's resource database-the most comprehensive in the
region-and leading patient management system, LifeNet's technology
infrastructure enables it to provide unparalleled hotline support
to patients with acute and chronic health conditions, including
those with multiple, co-occurring disorders.
MHA-NYC's Crisis and Behavioral Health Technology
Unit has extensive experience and expertise in developing programs
for, and treating patients with, suicidal ideation, substance abuse
and addictions, anxiety, depression, and other behavioral health
conditions. Home to LifeNet, New York City's only 24/7
multilingual crisis hotline staffed by mental health professionals,
and administrator of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline,
MHA-NYC is a national leader in crisis and suicide
prevention.
Define, Engage and Link Cohorts of Disengaged or
High Risk Individuals to Appropriate Treatment
LifeNet is New York City's only multicultural
crisis center operating 24/7 with mental health professionals
providing behavioral health assessments, interventions, and support
in English, Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin. LifeNet is the
go-to source for information and referrals to NYC's vast social
service support network, providing MHA-NYC with a real-time view of
the mental health and social service needs of the City's diverse
population.
Reviews of outpatient engagement for post discharge
follow up care
Through LifeNet and the National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline, MHA-NYC has developed follow up care models to improve
engagement in outpatient treatment post discharge. With
funding from SAMHSA, MHA-NYC's National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
unit is evaluating 23 different follow-up programs across the
country, including one at LifeNet, to identify the most effective
follow-up care models.
Suicide Prevention
As administrator of the National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline, MHA-NYC is a leader in designing and implementing the
federal government's suicide prevention strategy and programs.
MHA-NYC's staff experts developed the evidence-based Suicide
Risk Assessment Standards and specific intervention policies,
including the Policy for Helping Callers at Imminent Risk of
Suicide, used by crisis centers nationwide.
MHA-NYC's LifeNet unit is staffed by mental health
professionals who use evidence-based suicide assessment, crisis
intervention, and follow-up protocols, based on research and best
practices from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the
American Association of Suicidology and the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration, among others.
Reducing costs for people with high cost physical
and behavioral health conditions
LifeNet conducted a pilot program with Woodhull
Medical and Mental Health Center, in which LifeNet provided follow
up telephone calls to suicidal patients treated and discharged from
the emergency department. Preliminary results show
significant support among patients for the continued follow up care
after discharge. Throughout the follow up, LifeNet conducted
regular suicide risk assessments, and confirmed that patients made
it to their post discharge referral appointment.
Behavioral Health Emergency Diversion/Inpatient
Diversion
LifeNet's effective telephone-based suicide risk
assessments and crisis counseling services provide an important
triage function, ensuring clients in imminent risk of suicide
receive appropriate emergency interventions from EMS, mobile crisis
teams, or 911 dispatch. Clients not in imminent risk are
diverted away from unnecessary emergency/inpatientervMHA-NYC is a
leader in developing innovative approaches to address behavioral
health needs. MHA-NYC has its roots in New York City, but growing
demand has resulted in a need for our innovative services well
beyond New York City's borders.
MHA-NYC's LifeNet is a leader in a national effort to design,
evaluate, and implement effective behavioral health interventions
using communication technology-telephone, SMS texting, and
real-time web chats-to improve health outcomes of disengaged and
high risk individuals by getting, and keeping, them linked to
care.
LifeNet can be an invaluable resource to Behavioral Health
Organizations seeking innovative, high quality, cost-effective
approaches to conducting concurrent review of inpatient behavioral
health services and coordinating the provision of behavioral health
services and other services available under the medical assistance
program.
Monitor, review and assess the use of
behavioral health inpatient care
- Outreach and engagement activities to support patient
engagement in treatment and to promote continuity of care
- Evidence-based referrals and follow-up servicesAfter-hours
access to information and emergency support
- Appointment reminders to ensure patients follow through with
treatment plans
- Post-discharge transitional technological case management to
support patient compliance with treatment plan, promote engagement
and improve continuity of care
- Outreach to re-engage patient, if needed
Children's outpatient SED tracking
- Support BHOs efforts to collect and track data related to
children diagnosed with SED
Profile providers
- Identify available community-based resources and actively
monitor appropriate referrals, access, engagement, follow-up, and
coordination of services
Facilitate cross-system linkage
- Support effective collaborations with community-based
resources
- Provide information on community-based and other social support
services and healthcare services that respond to the patients'
needs and preferences and contribute to achieving the patients'
goals