healthy hospitals
KAISER PERMANENTE EXPANDS MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACCESS IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY BY NORA HESTON TARTE Mental health has been at the forefront of conversations in the health industry for years, and over the past year the need for these services has increased as people endure struggles related to the COVID-19 pandemic may it be fear, anxiety, loss, loneliness, or another byproduct of the circumstances. Kaiser Permanente Central Valley stepped up to the plate, acknowledging the need for additional mental health services, continued care with social distancing protocols, and destigmatizing the image associated with seeking mental health services. “We have seen a rise in demand for mental health services since the COVID-19 pandemic began,” says Amanjot Deol, MD, chief of Behavioral Health at Kaiser Permanente Central Valley. Creating ways for patients to connect with mental health providers was one of the main goals for Kaiser Permanente Central Valley. “To help ensure our patients and members receive the care Published by San Joaquin Magazine
and safety standards. With more space, they need we have increased our mental there is room for more staff to treat more health outreach through remote access patients in both individual treatment by video and phone and providing and group class offerings. The Modestoappropriate levels of care,” Dr. Deol Enterprise Health and Wellness Center says. Assessments are offered through opened in 2020 to allow for better access video visits to respect social distancing to services in this region. In the coming guidelines, virtual technology is used in months, these services will also be emergency departments by mental health expanded in the Stockton area as well as clinicians to provide support, web-based Lathrop and Manteca (due to the opening classes and group therapy platforms of another health and wellness center have been developed to assist patients in expected to open in summer 2021). continuing care, and in-person mental “These state-of-the-art buildings and health services have expanded into expansion projects demonstrate Kaiser larger office spaces in Modesto, Stockton, Permanente’s ongoing commitment Tracy, and Lathrop to provide in-person to the mental health needs of our services where appropriate. All of these communities,” Dr. Deol says. “Our hope expansions further develop patient care is that all our patients will programs and better serve patient walk into these facilities and populations in San Joaquin experience this commitment County and beyond. KAISER and our efforts to destigmatize Three major expansions over PERMANENTE the image associated with the past year include new and CENTRAL VALLEY KP.org/CentralValley seeking mental health larger facilities to serve growing services.” populations and adhere to health
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