Expanded Services Made Possible by More Than $18 Million in Grant Funding
Awarded from the New York State Office of Mental Health
BRONX, N.Y., March 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Montefiore Health System is establishing seven new outpatient programs to better serve people with urgent and/or serious mental illness, pregnancy-related anxiety and depression, and eating disorders. More than $18 million from the New York State Office of Mental Health Behavioral Health Center of Excellence program administered by Fidelis Care, Healthfirst and MetroPlusHealth will support the supercharged outpatient care programs, increasing access to personalized care for Bronx residents.
Gaps in mental healthcare are problematic in the Bronx, a borough that has double the New York citywide rate for psychiatric hospitalizations, and most neighborhoods with high rates (40-76%) of people experiencing serious psychological distress without being connected to mental health treatment.
A Sample of Montefiore's New Programs
The Urgent Care and Bridge Clinic, one of the new programs, will offer walk-in care for individuals who might otherwise turn to the emergency room for treatment of rapidly worsening depression, anxiety, acute stress, or substance use problems. Beyond the initial urgent visit, the clinic will continue to support patients, bridging their care until they are connected (or reconnected) to long-term treatment through warm, supportive hand-offs. Last year at Montefiore's Henry & Lucy Moses Emergency Division, one of the busiest emergency departments in the country, approximately 4,500 patients--or 5 percent of all patients--sought care for mental or behavioral needs.
The Women's Mental Health Perinatal Intensive Outpatient Program will provide eight hours of programming per week for three months to people experiencing conditions such as anxiety or depression during and after pregnancy. Attendees will receive individual medication management and therapy, complimentary meals, group therapy, and parenting education. A nursery onsite will offer free, high-quality care for newborns, during program hours. As mother and baby interact, clinicians will gain insights to help tailor treatment goals.
Three new programs will provide support to patients with eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, bolstering Montefiore's current programming, through adding higher levels of care. For younger patients, the Partial Hospitalization Program for Adolescents and Young Adults will meet up to five times a week, offering group therapy as well as individual and family support and Kosher, Halal, and Caribbean meal options, reflecting the many cultures of the borough. As a middle option, an Intensive Outpatient Eating Disorder program will be offered for Adolescents and Young Adults who need consistent support but not hospitalization. The new Outpatient Adult Eating Disorders Program will be informed by evidence-based approaches to stress and anxiety surrounding nutrition and food scarcity.
The First Episode and Early Psychosis Program will allow a team of providers to support people experiencing new onset of symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, and paranoid thinking. The program will support patients through diagnosis and treatment and as they navigate challenges related to housing, careers, and relationships.
"All of healthcare is benefiting from a greater recognition of how our culture, combined with where we are born, and how we work and live, can valuably inform the treatment we receive," said Jonathan E. Alpert, M.D., Ph.D., professor and Dorothy and Marty Silverman Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "By introducing these novel programs in communities like ours, we are developing the best interventions to improve care delivery in a meaningful way."
"Building on our already outstanding team, we anticipate hiring the equivalent of 50 full-time roles to serve patients with an anticipated 10,000 new annual visits," said Salimah Velji, MPH, MBA, Unified Executive Administrator, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Montefiore Health System. "Soon, patients with higher acuity will have the opportunity to receive care outside of the hospital but within our own system through intensive programs. Expanding our capacity to step-up and step-down care across the continuum will ensure patients receive the right level of care at the right time. We believe this will help reduce emergency department wait times, improve timely access to care, and provide truly tailored treatment for each patient population, enhancing the system for all."
Montefiore Behavioral Health Center, the Westchester Square Campus, and the Moses Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division are expected sites for the new programs. Additional services are still being developed. The aim is to provide patients with more robust local care options, including greater support in times of need while staying connected to Montefiore's network.
In 2024, Montefiore received a related grant from the New York State Office of Mental Health, which is funding the creation of a Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, an Adult Psychiatric Partial Hospitalization Program, and an additional Child Outpatient Mental Health Clinic serving the South Bronx.
SOURCE Montefiore Health System
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