Erie, PA (October 23, 2024) — The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) announced today that it has been awarded a $1.75 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for the strategic expansion of telebehavioral health services via primary care settings to underserved and rural communities, specifically targeting areas of Ashtabula County, OH, and Chautauqua County, NY.
This funding, amounting to $350,000 per year over the next five years, will allow for the launch of the Health Expansion and Access with LECOM Behavioral Health program, known as Project (HEAL-BH). Both Ashtabula County and Chautauqua County are designated as HRSA Mental Health Provider Shortage Areas, meaning they have a scarcity of providers who offer integrated behavioral health in their communities. These areas experience a gap in accessible and comprehensive behavioral health services, with many residents needing to travel significant distances for care. Increased usage of telehealth makes behavioral health care more accessible and brings care directly to the residents of these communities.
“We are thrilled to be chosen for this grant by HRSA,” Dr. Danielle Hansen, regional president of LECOM Health, said. “This funding allows LECOM Health to provide telebehavioral health resources and address disparities in behavioral healthcare, access, and provider capacity in Ashtabula County and Chautauqua County.”
Project HEAL-BH will utilize the Collaborative Care Model. Through this model, patients at the Rural Clinic of Ashtabula and the Corry Memorial Hospital Clymer Rural Health Clinic in Chautauqua County will have access to in-person brief therapeutic interventions and care coordination with Behavioral Health Care Managers (BHCM) and direct psychiatric care from providers with Medical Associates of Erie (MAE), the clinical practice arm of LECOM Health. Project HEAL-BH will also allow for primary care physicians to have direct access to consult with psychiatrists to assist in managing depression and anxiety for their patients.
These two clinics saw an average of 3,742 patients per clinic in 2023, showing a significant need for more mental health resources.
Project HEAL-BH will look to improve behavioral health outcomes in communities and reduce readmission rates for behavioral health symptoms like anxiety and depression. The success of this new telehealth model can result in models for others to follow, resulting in improved accessibility of care in rural and underserved communities across the nation.
“We believe Project HEAL-BH will radically improve the accessibility of behavioral healthcare in Ashtabula and Chautauqua Counties,” Dr. Hansen said. “These two settings can potentially serve as the first stops for increased behavioral health care accessibility throughout the United States.”
Project HEAL-BH began Sept. 30, 2024, and will run through Sept. 30, 2029.
###
About LECOM and LECOM Health
LECOM Health is a highly innovative, multi-faceted healthcare and education system. As the nation’s only osteopathic academic health center, LECOM Health includes Millcreek Community Hospital, Corry Memorial Hospital, Medical Associates of Erie, LECOM Senior Living Center, LECOM Senior Living Communities, John M. and Silvia M. Ferretti LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center, LECOM Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, LECOM at Village Square, LECOM at Elmwood Gardens, LECOM Center for Health and Aging, the Visiting Nurse Association of Erie County, the Achievement Center of LECOM Health, and Corry Counseling Services of LECOM Health. At the core of LECOM Health is the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), the largest and one of the most affordable medical schools in the country. Since 1993, LECOM has trained over 18,000 healthcare professionals through its cutting-edge, student-centered College of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Pharmacy, School of Dental Medicine, School of Podiatric Medicine, School of Health Services Administration and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at campuses in Erie and Greensburg, Pa., Bradenton, Fla., and Elmira, N.Y.
For More Information:
Matt Bresee
VP, Marketing & Communications
814-881-6984