EveryDayMatters.com Aims to Raise Awareness and Coordinate Care Between Mental and Physical Health

GREAT RIVER, N.Y., Jan. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Netsmart, the leading provider of clinical solutions for health and human services organizations nationwide, today announced the launch of www.EveryDayMatters.com, an interactive, informational website designed to highlight the positive clinical and financial impacts provided by the behavioral health community.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110620/NY22778LOGO )

In an era of huge budget deficits, improvement of health and healthcare cost containment cannot be achieved without the coordination of behavioral and physical health. It is with this thought in mind that www.EveryDayMatters.com was developed to highlight the enormous contribution made by behavioral health providers to the nation's health.

Content on the website includes videos, blogs, news feeds, social media links and an interactive message board. Behavioral health organizations, clinicians, practitioners, consumers and industry vendors are encouraged to visit the site and share stories that celebrate successes and debunk myths and stigma about mental health issues. The site allows visitors to be aware, inspired and enlightened by each other's stories, ask questions, share opinions, eliminate barriers and celebrate successes. Current topics and news articles will also be shared for education and discussion.

"The care provided by those who work in behavioral health changes lives. You cannot treat just the mind or just the body; you must coordinate care to treat the whole person," said Mike Valentine, CEO, Netsmart.  "As healthcare in the U.S. evolves to address the health of populations, we want to ensure that the millions that suffer from some type of mental illness are not left behind.  For them - and the people that serve them - every day matters. For us, that starts with www.EveryDayMatters.com. It's a venue where those in the community can share success stories, tell their personal stories and learn more about behavioral health.

"We also believe that technology can play a big role in advancing care in behavioral health," said Valentine. "The primary care world spent the last 10 years integrating evidence-based medicine into their electronic health record systems. Our goal is to do it for behavioral health in half that time."

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in four adults, or approximately 57.7 million Americans, experience a mental health disorder in a given year. The World Health Organization has reported that four of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are mental disorders. By 2020, major depressive illness will be the leading cause of disability in the world for women and children. As a leader in the industry, Netsmart is committed to transforming the way care is delivered. Part of that transformation includes new innovations that lead to improved care and outcomes.

"EveryDayMatters.com is where we can share, learn from each other, educate, and start conversations across our industry," said Dr. Steve Ronik, CEO of Henderson Behavioral Health, the oldest and largest community-based, not-for-profit behavioral health system in South Florida. "Anything we can do to hear directly from those who have insights into mental health issues and increase awareness will only serve to benefit us all as we look at services, treatments and results."

"Our goal is that the site becomes a trusted resource for insight, education, innovation, advocacy and awareness about mental health issues," said Valentine. "While Netsmart is proud to sponsor this site, it is not a Netsmart site. The site is an open, public forum for all to use."

Visit www.EveryDayMatters.com to join the conversation today. 

SOURCE Netsmart