Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton expanded its behavioral health services through a partnership with a Burlington County provider.
The partnership with Hampton Behavioral Health Center, of Westampton, is set to provide RWJ Hamilton with a full-time inpatient psychiatrist and an assessment coordinator in the emergency department.
Hampton is also set to provide telepsychiatry capabilities as a rapid response for patients going through a mental-health or substance-abuse episode during hours when a physician is not on-site.
RWJ Hamilton president and CEO Skip Cimino said the partnership will help meet the hospitals demand for mental health providers.
“We have seen a steady influx of patients in our emergency department with mental health issues, but appropriate services cannot be provided if the supply of mental health providers cannot keep pace with the demand,” Cimino said in a statement, “this partnership will help us meet the rising needs of our community with the care they’ve come to trust.”
Behavioral health care was cited as a major concern of the community in a 2012 Mercer County Community Health Assessment report conducted by the Greater Mercer Public Health Partnership. Focus group members and interviewees reported rising rates of depression and other mental health issues among people in the region and closely connected those issues to substance abuse, the economic downturn and the region’s achievement culture.
Even though RWJ Hamilton has a psychiatrist available to evaluate people going through a behavioral health crisis, the partnership with Hampton provides critical staffing to reduce wait times. In addition, Hampton’s telepsychiatry program connects RWJ Hamilton’s patients to the Behavioral Health Center’s 24/7 Access Center.
Telepsychiatry is a method of serving patients within the comfort of their local hospital rather than waiting in a county psychiatric crisis center. Patients in the emergency department can be assessed through telemedicine equipment, usually within an hour of arrival.
Hampton, a leader in providing behavioral health services in South Jersey since 1986, operates an acute care psychiatric hospital in Westampton. The company plans to build an outpatient facility in Hamilton Township.
