| Psychiatry:
Promoting Recovery |
Bronx-Lebanon’s Department of Psychiatry offers a comprehensive approach to mental health. “Our team is actively involved in providing a wide range of assessment and treatment services to those suffering from mental illness and substance abuse problems,”
stated Dr. Jeffrey M. Levine, Chairman, Department of Psychiatry. The department accounts for more than 250,000 visits annually, and is widely recognized as a leader in the provision of community mental health services for children and adults.
The Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP), located at the Fulton Division, treats more than 7,000 mental health emergencies per year in both adults and children. Well-trained, multi-disciplinary staff addresses urgent and emergent problems that include not only the stabilization of patients with known mental illness, but also the provision of vital support to help children stay in school and adults remain in the work force, as well as fulfill duties as parents. “Our CPEP is providing us with increased opportunities to address, stabilize, and potentially resolve family and crisis situations, a key factor in the treatment of mental health problems,” stated Raymond Esteves, Assistant Vice President, Clinical Services. A crucial service offered by the CPEP is the Mobile Crisis team. Its staff visits patients in their homes and provides intensive evaluations of urgent clinical problems, as well as arranges follow-up care, all in the community.
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During 2008, the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, under the Direction of Dr. Francis Hayden, initiated the Child and Family Clinic Plus program (CFCP). This program, sponsored by the New York State Office of Mental Health, in conjunction with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the New York City Department of Education, aims to screen children in the schools for undiagnosed mental health problems, as well as work with schools, children, and families to intervene before symptoms interfere with functioning. During 2008, more than 600 children were screened and 185 more were fully assessed by professional staff at Bronx-Lebanon’s Child Study Center. Before the Child and Family Clinic Plus program is fully implemented, staff plans to screen nearly 10,000 students in the Bronx (with school and parental involvement). “Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center is now the largest provider of this program in New York State, and these efforts will have a real effect on the well-being of children in the Bronx,” stated Dr. Hayden.
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The Family Wellness Center, a joint project (under the auspices of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Health Center and Bronx-Lebanon’s Depart-ments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry), opened in 2008. The Family Wellness Center is unique in its ability to combine mental health, substance abuse, and general health care for patients, all in one setting. With capacity for comprehensive treatment planning, it will have par-ticular expertise in caring for patients who have previously required repetitive inpatient care for chronic illness, thereby helping them remain independent and avoid hospitalization.Plans for 2009 include a new adult inpatient area that will feature New York State’s first “Intensive Behavioral Care Unit.” It will allow for the focused treatment of high risk patients by specially trained staff.
Further into the future, new chemical dependency facilities and programs are being planned. “All of our exciting efforts and initiatives will help make recovery a reality for residents of the Bronx,” stated Dr. Levine. |
Anesthesiology
