Telehealth Equipment donation enabling Families to Virtually Visit with Loved Ones in Nursing Homes
LAS VEGAS, NV – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Behavioral Health Solutions (BHS) has offered telehealth equipment and is rapidly deploying Telepsychiatry and Telepsychology services to increase access to care and provide reliable, consistent access to Nevada- licensed mental health providers, when on-site care is not available. The delivery of this equipment to residents of nursing facilities is equally impactful, as the facility can use this same equipment to enable virtual visits with loved ones, to help prevent the isolation nursing home residents are facing during this pandemic.
We saw the need clearly expressed in the nursing homes we served and thought this was a great way to both meet a clinical need and serve the community” stated Bill Treese, president of BHS.
The technology and equipment required to access these services and handle the virtual meetings is being provided to any nursing home provider in Nevada free of charge. BHS is providing, maintaining and cleaning all required equipment as part of services. Additionally, BHS has also donated equipment to nursing homes that are not clients to enable them the same services, even without a contracted relationship.
Dr. Anthony Quinn, BHS’ Corporate Medical Director stated: “As of April 1, we have installed telehealth units in 30+ Nevada facilities with 15 actively using to see patients. This equipment, even where we are not seeing residents for psychiatric services, permits residents in those nursing facilities, who are isolated from friends and family due to the pandemic, to have video-conferencing abilities with those friends and family. This is essential to the mental health and well-being of these vulnerable Nevadans.”
Because of its presence in a high number of Nevada’s nursing homes, BHS is well-positioned to meet the unique mental health needs exacerbated by COVID-19 and is dedicated to expanding our programs to include Telepsychiatry. We serve nursing homes all over the State of Nevada, helping them qualify for funding under the BCCP and ensuring that the residents of those centers receive high quality behavioral and mental health care. We do this through on-site psychiatry and medication management as well as training of nursing home staff on the best practices in caring for these difficult patients. We ensure that these nursing facilities meet Nevada’s goals of:
- Safe & Effective treatment of medically-based behavior disorders in-state
- Improvement of residents with those behavioral disorders
- Increased mental health care within nursing facilities to meet resident’s needs
- Maintaining and growing the quality of nursing home staff through training
- In-State care of Nevada patients
The current funding and structure of the program enables us to assist nursing facilities in achieving these goals. BHS hopes that in the next round of budget discussions, the importance of this program is maintained.
Behavioral Health Solutions is an agency comprised of mental health professionals specializing in the care of cognitively challenged adults. Our program was developed to meet the specific needs of long term care facilities providing care for individuals with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Psychosis, and any other cognitive, psychiatric, and/or mental health disorder that causes behavioral challenges such as verbal and physical aggression, attention-seeking, sexual inappropriateness, confusion, grief, maladjustment to new surroundings, and any other psychiatric and/or behavioral challenges.