Imagine this…you are a nurse caring for a patient in their home....
...No big deal right? What if I told you though
that your patient was diagnosed as having paranoid
schizophrenia? Now what do you think?
It is estimated that approximately 57.7 million Americans experience a mental health disorder in any
given year. 1-in-17 adults live with
a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (NAMI,
2013). Lack of access to mental health services and a shortage of inpatient beds
is a huge problem in our country. The National Alliance on Mental Illness gave
the United States and overall grade of a “D” for its mental health care in a
2009 report (USA Today, 2009). [click here to see how your state ranks]
I don’t know about you, but in my mind that is NOT a passing
grade! So what can we do? It seems logical to me that a great way to go about
treating mental illness is in the community. One type of community program is
Assertive Community Treatment teams or ACT. ACT is a service-delivery model that provides comprehensive
around the clock cares to patients with serious and persistent mental illness
much like an inpatient hospital unit would. The difference, however, is that
ACT provides care within the home of the patient.
WHATS SO
GREAT ABOUT COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMS?- Decreases hospital days by 85%
- Reduces jail days by 83%
- Creates patient and family centered care
- Patients are able to find and maintain employment longer
- Decreases co-occurring substance abuse problems
- Creates greater compliance with medication and treatment plans (NAMI, 2013)
Health care is changing, and it is changing rapidly.
Community based health care, especially in mental health hold the potential to
change lives! Why not be a part of effective patient centered care? Are you ready to be part of the change?
Hey kylie, I thought that this was a great topic and your speech was wonderful!! Yes, I am ready for and ready to be apart of this change. Ever since our mental health clinical rotation, I have thought that there has to be a better way to treat and care for our mentally ill patients, especially in the adolescent population. There seems to be a lot of readmission's or frequent flyers, children learning more negative behaviors from peers. It just seems that the system we have in place in not producing positive patient outcomes and a community based model of care could maybe be the answer!! Very excited to see where this goes.
ReplyDeleteHey Kylie Great Post,
ReplyDeleteThrough multiple friendships, I know what a reality this D grade Mental Health System is in our country. From my clinical experience with Fairview Home Care I also am aware of what a demand there is for Home Health Nurses Specializing in Mental Health. I am also being made more aware through my current clinical experience at the Shakopee Women's Prison and the research I am conducting what a high rate of Mental Illness is prevalent in our prison system. I guess what I am saying is that your speech and blog hit very close to home for me and I really appreciate your effort in raising awareness about this issue and combating the stigma surrounding Mental Illness.
Kylie, I love hearing you speak about this subject at our nursing forum, and I like reading the fact again on your blog. I have seen mental illness continue rise in the news, in the community, and in my personal relationships, and I see the effects of the poor treatment these people receive in our health care systems. It is critical to make this change. The movement towards home-based care has allowed people with chronic medical conditions to have a better quality of life and continue to live at home. I imagine that it would have the same effect on people living with mental illness. Thanks for sharing this very interesting blog.
ReplyDelete