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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — With a $3.9 million grant, NYC Health + Hospitals will launch a new tele-behavioral health service into its virtual urgent care platform, ExpressCare.
The grant, from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, will help provide around-the-clock support for mental health conditions, including psychiatric support and substance abuse treatment.
The grant will also support NYC Health + Hospitals — touted as the largest municipal healthcare system in the U.S. — to work with the city Department of Homeless Services to create a tailored version of the new tele-behavioral healthcare service for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
“Helmsley’s New York City program is dedicated to increasing health stability and improving outcomes for New Yorkers with high needs,” said Tracy Perrizo, the New York City program officer at Helmsley.
“The expansion of ExpressCare to include on-demand urgent behavioral healthcare will reduce avoidable, costly trips to the emergency room and go a long way in improving preventive healthcare for this vulnerable population. We appreciate the vision and partnership of NYC Health + Hospitals and look forward to expanding behavioral health services for this important patient population,” added Perrizo.
NYC Health + Hospitals will develop a tailored version of the behavioral health service to treat patients at 25 homeless shelters and six mobile street outreach clinics in the first year. In the grant’s second year, NYC Health + Hospitals will use the grant to increase the use of ExpressCare and plan, execute, and evaluate four behavioral health engagement strategies targeted to some of the hardest-to-reach patients.
NYC Health + Hospitals launched its virtual urgent care program in 2020 with support from Helmsley to tailor the service for homeless patients in partnership with the Helmsley-funded NYC Collaborative for Homeless Healthcare, who advised on the process. The ExpressCare platform quickly filled a critical healthcare gap facing vulnerable residents, especially throughout the pandemic. It has served 75,000 New Yorkers to date with a 95% overall patient satisfaction score, according to the city.
“I would like to thank the Helmsley Charitable Trust for its generous investment in ExpressCare as we expand this vital service to one of our city’s most vulnerable populations,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz. “We understand how difficult it may be for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness to get to a doctor’s office. This grant will allow NYC Health + Hospitals to bring some stability to their lives by making mental health and substance abuse services available 24/7 through our virtual platform.”
The project seeks to test the impact of lifting barriers that patients may face in seeking behavioral care when they are homeless or unstably housed.
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