Speakers Share Insights on Inpatient Psychiatric Care During COVID-19 Pandemic

Inpatient psychiatric units all over the country are grappling with the need to continue treating patients in the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On Wednesday, APA and the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare hosted awebinar with the leaders of three inpatient facilities so they could share their experiences so far.The leaders were Harsh Trivedi, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of Sheppard Pratt Health Systems in Maryland; Ryan Kimmel, M.D., chief of psychiatry at the University of Washington Medical Center; and Frank A. Ghinassi, Ph.D., A.B.P.P., president and CEO of Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. APA Education Director Tristan Gorrindo, M.D., moderated the webinar.The speakers stressed the importance of addressing COVID-19 in health systems in a way that does not limit people ’s access to behavioral health care. “We’re trying not to reduce our inpatient psychiatry footprint,” Kimmel said. “If anything, we’re trying to increase it.”The participants outlined strategies they ’ve adopted to deliver psychiatric care during the COVID-19 crisis, including the following:Setting up remote services wherever possible: The participants explained that their systems have worked to rapidly provide outpatient services through telemedicine.Trivedi said Sheppard Pratt is working to launch a virtual assessment service for patients in crisis. When patients on inpatient wards test positive for COVID-19, Ghinassi said his staff use video techno...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: APA communication coronavirus COVID-19 Frank Ghinassi Harsh Trivedi inpatient facilities National Association for Behavioral Healthcare PPE remote services Ryan Kimmel Tristan Gorrindo visitor access Source Type: research