EVERETT, Wash. — The pandemic changed many things for us all. One of the changes for the better is how we understand and treat people’s mental and emotional well-being.
"Mental health is a big part of the way we think about health care for our patients. It is not something that can be just taken out and thought about separately. It is really part of that whole-person care," said Dr. Helen Hansen, Providence's regional Director of Behavioral Health.
One of the ways Providence Swedish is meeting the needs of its patients in Snohomish County is a facility dedicated to those dealing with a mental health crisis.
"This is our Behavioral Health Urgent Care Clinic, which is a very unique service that we provide to our community members. It really acts as a same-day walk-in access for behavioral health urgent needs for our patients," said Hansen. "We wanted a better way to capture some of the behavioral health heightened needs of our patient population and really meet them at the right level of care."
At their primary care clinics, the caregiver is also taking a proactive approach to behavioral health by integrating mental health services into routine medical exams.
"The more that we really learn about the human mind, you can't separate the mind and body, you have to treat these things together," said Jenni O'Donnell, senior Medical Director for Behavioral Health Integration. "Instead of putting in a referral and saying, 'OK, somebody's gonna call you and you'll schedule maybe a month or two months later,' you get in to see somebody, our goal is to see you that same day. As a part of the care team, my clinicians can walk right into the room and see you right then and there."
"Our goal is that in that first visit, you are walking away with something tangible that you can do to start moving forward," O'Donnell said.
Beyond their clinic walls, Providence Swedish is reaching out to the community too, partnering up with organizations like the Seattle Sounders to spread awareness about good mental health.
"We're able to bring the knowledge of what we do every day into the community and help with that destigmatization," O'Donnell said. "Making it easier for people to understand what they can do, what's within their control, but also normalizing the things that people are experiencing every day and how they can access the support that they need."
"We're doing lots of things to try and improve our access and to really ensure that patients can access us at the right time, at the right place, and really that there's no wrong door to accessing our care," Hansen said.
More information on Province Swedish's Behavioral Health experts can be found here.
Sponsored by Providence Swedish