Saint Barnabas Hospital (SBH) Health System in the South Bronx cut the ribbon on a brand-new medical psychiatry unit; a specialized eight-bed unit used to treat vulnerable patients facing both acute medical illnesses and mental health issues through a multidisciplinary management approach. The new unit comes as the Bronx experiences the highest rate of psychiatric hospitalizations of all five boroughs and as New York State is investing more than $100 million to address gaps in the behavioral health system.
Through the Behavioral Health Centers of Excellence program, Medicaid-managed care organizations like SBH and providers are incentivized to collaborate to create behavioral health system capacity and address critical gaps in inpatient, outpatient, and care management services. The new model of delivery will more efficiently coordinate patient services and safety while reducing the length of stay so that patients with both acute illnesses and mental health needs can receive support all in one place.
The new 1,860-square-foot unit was built with more than $4.3 million in private support from Fidelis Care, a New York-based health insurance company.
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