In a developing partnership, TidalHealth Peninsula Regional Hospital, Atlantic General Hospital (AGH), and several community partners are expanding problem behavioral health care services on the east coast of Maryland. The partnership, called the Tri-County Behavioral Health Engagement (TRIBE), plans to open the Tidal Health Crisis Center later next month. The center will eventually act as a 23-hour crisis response unit, servicing Waikamiko, Worcester, and Somerset counties.
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The TRIBE Initiative will receive $ 11.3 million in funding from 2021 to 2026. Regional Partnership Catalyst Program Under the Health Service Cost Review Board.
“We have found that there are people in need of pre-crisis services right away, so we can avoid or fall into crisis,” said AGH’s Population Health. Director Tina Simmons said. “If we can stabilize them, we hope to prevent hospitalization.”
The Tidal Health Crisis Center serves as the primary site for the Tri-County Area. However, TRIBE has already achieved some success at AGH’s secondary site. Since its opening in January, about 150 patients have been visited.
According to Simmons, this program helped close the service gap in the county’s pediatric population, which accounts for about 60% of the first cases. The number of pediatric patients has since leveled off, but Simmons said they are still seeing high-level adolescents.
TRIBE aims to reduce emergency department utilization in service areas by 20% by providing crisis counseling, medical stabilization, and dosing prescriptions. Other program goals include accepting 100% walk-in referrals and reducing inpatients’ behavioral health admissions by 10%.
Simmons said coordinating care will be an important focus of the TRIBE service.
“”[Patients] We plan and depart, “Simmons said. “The care coordinator will then follow up within 48 hours until a takeover occurs and is connected to one of the next level of care, a permanent provider, or the community resource we want. “
This is where TRIBE’s 16 community partners participate in the process. The program initially involved three county health departments and a crisis response team, Sante Mobile. However, the project has since grown to include resources from other behavioral health care communities, public school systems, and faith-based organizations in the Tri-County area. With easy access to a variety of resources, TRIBE aims to introduce patients to the best provider for their behavioral health needs.
Another tactic to help coordinate care is the use of CRISP, a state health information exchange.Each TRIBE patient Care alert Placed at CRISP, it allows providers to access and update information about treatment plans.
Simmons added that more work is being done on both TRIBE sites. One of the project’s goals included receiving patient drop-offs from first responder services. However, regulatory barriers are holding the drop-off, and Simmons said the hospital is still in internal and external discussions with community partners.
TRIBE also aims to increase remote psychiatric services, especially if the patient presents behavioral health needs during a primary care visit. It was also funded by local behavioral health authorities for the Peer Recovery Specialist position, which will begin in June.
