The Holiday Season is a special time for most people. It can be a positive time of reflecting on family, friends, and the many things that matter in our lives. So we want to wish everyone a very happy Seasons Greetings! But for many people with behavioral health needs, the Holidays can also be particularly challenging. Orbit Health also wishes to recognize such difficulties and extend our support to our team, patients, and broader community. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you think we can be a resource during this sensitive time. And if you’re a team member, know we always value your communication.

Q&A with Dr. Charles Chaney Part 2

What does the future hold for behavioral health in terms of funding, access, and prioritization?

We are fortunate that mental health has risen to a prominent position in our culture and society over the last decade, and this has resonated in our government. Government leaders at the local, state and federal levels have approved funding initiatives to address the dire need for a more robust approach to mental health. I anticipate that funding programs and grants will continue at a fair pace in the near future and also believe: 

• States will continue to play a pivotal role in designing local mental health systems, and will continue to receive federal support via Mental Health Block Grants and partial funding of services provided through Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program). 
• State-funded academic institutions will continue to play an important role in fostering behavioral health research.
• Access to mental health services will grow at a faster pace as organizations, systems, and patients adopt new technology. 
• Virtual access to psychiatrists and therapists will bring more patients in direct contact with medication management, therapy, coaching, education, and other services that integrate with mental health solutions. 
• The use of mental health apps will continue to grow. It will be interesting to see whether these apps can enhance patient self-management, emotional regulation, planning skills, organization skills, and symptom tracking. These shifts in technology will present several key challenges that include ensuring privacy and medical record protection, proper regulation, and ownership rights to medical information.

Thank you very much for this opportunity to share some key ideas about one of the most important topics in our society, that of the emergence of technology and mental health care and the future of behavioral health in the US. It was a real pleasure.

Spotlight: Orbit Health Value of the Month

Also, as we approach a new year, Orbit Health wants to highlight another core value: “Data-Informed Decisions.” While this might sound technical, it actually overlaps with our other core values and is critical to the well being of our patients and success of our team. Here’s why data-informed decisions matter:

• Ensures responsible use of time and resources, which means we can help more patients
• Holds us accountable to quality care delivery and patient satisfaction
• Helps us improve operations and workflows to boost team morale
• Empowers us to grow our partnerships to further extend our reach into the community

Do you have any thoughts on how “data-informed decisions” help Orbit Health with its mission to help patients and the broader community? Let us know here and be entered into a raffle for a $100 Starbucks gift card!