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Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti toured The Josselyn Center on Friday, May 18th, as part of her new state task force to develop a comprehensive tele-medicine strategy for the Medicaid program to help improve access to healthcare.  The Josselyn Center's tele-psychiatry program helps bridge the gap to this scarce resource.

Throughout his career, Dr. Jorel Martinez has combined both his medical and cultural expertise to serve the Spanish-speaking community’s health needs. He spent time before medical school breaking down language barriers as an interpreter for the National Institutes of Health, and his bilingual abilities helped him provide the most effective care as a psychiatry resident at the University of Chicago. 

Today, Martinez works as a telepsychiatrist with Regroup, serving patients at two clinics focused on providing behavioral health services to lower-income communities, Oak Street Health and Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4). Forty percent of the patients Martinez sees are Spanish speakers, and this bilingual and bicultural psychiatrist is just the doctor they want – and need – to see on the screen.

Join Regroup and The Josselyn Center as they discuss the healthcare center’s challenges and successes in implementing a telepsych program. You'll hear directly from the program coordinator about the Center's experience throughout the planning, initiation and maintenance of telepsychiatry services, and how they overcame barriers to successful implementation.  

Six decades of research have shown that telepsychiatry is an effective alternative when in-person treatment for mental health care is not feasible or unavailable. By exploring the benefits of telepsychiatry, healthcare facilities can make informed decisions about how to best provide quality mental healthcare based on their specific needs and the needs of the patient populations they serve.

Telepsychiatry Technology Basics

When rolling out a telepsychiatry program, one of the first things to establish is an effective telepsychiatry technology stack. A technology stack is the software and hardware that creates the infrastructure to support your computer systems. While that may sound daunting, it is not. With the right equipment, reliable software and appropriate training, you can run your program seamlessly. 

Regroup, a leading virtual behavioral healthcare organization, recently closed a $5.5 million growth round of funding. Frist Cressey Ventures, Further Fund, HBS Angels of Chicago, HLM Venture Partners, Hyde Park Angels,  OCA Ventures, and OSF Ventures, all among the group of Series A major investors, contributed to the round. "Our investors are investing in us, our mission and the great progress we've made in these last months. Their support allows us to make a meaningful difference in the lives of thousands of patients across the country who otherwise may not be able to access these badly needed behavioral health services," said David Cohn, Founder and CEO of Regroup.

Outpatient telepsychiatry is the delivery of telepsychiatry services in an outpatient setting, usually within a community health center. With nearly one in five U.S. adults living with mental illness today, outpatient telepsychiatry is leveraging the power of technology to help more people access the mental healthcare they need.

As a senior consulting psychiatrist with Regroup, Dr. Omar Elhaj provides telepsychiatry for correctional facilities across Illinois. Conveniently working from his home office, he is able to offer critical care to patients in remote areas, where psychiatric services can be difficult to access.

The United States has been experiencing an “opioid epidemic” of crippling magnitude that has led the Government on October 26, 2017 to declare the opioid crisis “a public health emergency.”  This epidemic has severely impacted most populations, including tribal communities. Join Regroup, CNAY and SAMHSA  as they discuss how telemental health services can be used to combat this crisis within tribal communities. 

The societal burden of mental illness is significant and measurable. There is an urgent need to enhance access to mental health services, particularly in rural areas. OSF Healthcare and Regroup discussed this topic during a webinar that aired live on March, 16th at 10:00am.