New Telepsychiatry Program in Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hershey, PA – The Institute for Learning & Behavioral Sciences, which provides comprehensive psychoeducational, learning, cognitive and psychological evaluations for children, adolescents and adults, and InSight Telepsychiatry are pleased to announce a new partnership to increase psychiatric coverage for individuals seeking mental health care in an outpatient setting.  This new telepsychiatry program is expected to launch in December, but scheduling is open now.

Telepsychiatry is the delivery of psychiatry through real time videoconferencing. It has been found to be an effective form of care delivery and a convenient, cost-effective way to safely expand psychiatric support without the challenge of staffing an in-person psychiatry provider.

Clint Stankiewicz, Psy.D, owner and executive director of the Institute for Learning & Behavioral Sciences, saw a need in the community for more access to psychiatric care. In addition to increasing access to care in the community, this program will offer psychiatric services to individuals who already receive mental health services at the Institute for Learning & Behavioral Sciences, if needed. This allows them to continue treatment at their current location as opposed to being referred to a different organization.

Institute for Learning & Behavioral Sciences Launches New Telepsychiatry Program in Hershey, Pennsylvania

Mental health is a top concern in Pennsylvania. There is a statewide average of 179 providers per 100,000 in population, which is below the national average of 214 to 100,000.[1] This comes out to one mental health provider per 600 individuals.[2] Of the approximately 12.9 million people living in Pennsylvania, 4% of adults live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression with many more living with any mental illness such as depression or anxiety.[3] Only 35% of the state need for mental health services is met.[4]

In central Pennsylvania, where Hershey is located, people commonly wait six months for an appointment with a psychiatrist.[5]

“As a mental health provider working in an outpatient setting, I saw an unmet need for psychiatry services in the Hershey area. Implementing a telepsychiatry program will give more people access to psychiatric services and will allow individuals that I see to continue receiving services at this location,” said Dr. Stankiewicz.

“Telepsychiatry gives communities unprecedented access to mental health care specialists. We are pleased to partner with the Institute for Learning & Behavioral Science to offer this service.  Telepsychiatry is a great solution, not only in Pennsylvania, but also in many other states across the nation where there is significant mental health need and a shortage of psychiatry providers,” said Jonathan Posten, Senior Director of Operations.

Telepsychiatry services at The Institute for Learning & Behavioral Sciences are now available.

The holidays can be extremely hectic and people have to juggle the different demands of the season, which makes it easy to put mental health on the back burner. For some, the close of the holiday season brings a sense of relief, but for others, this brings on feelings of sadness and loneliness. Now that it is the start of a new year and a new decade, it’s the perfect time to prioritize your mental health. Schedule a telepsychiatry appointment at The Institute for Learning & Behavioral Sciences today.

About Institute for Learning & Behavioral Sciences

The Institute for Learning & Behavioral Sciences provides comprehensive psycho-education, learning, cognitive and psychological evaluations for children, adolescents & adults. Such evaluations can help determine an individual’s level of intellectual functioning, unique learning style, personality characteristics, academic achievement and social/emotional needs. They collaborate with the referral source, educational institution, parents/guardians and treating clinicians during the assessment process and are trained to utilize current research findings (such as those published by the National Institute of Health & Human Services) in the conceptualization and diagnosis.

About InSight Telepsychiatry

InSight is the leading national telepsychiatry service provider organization with a mission to increase access to quality behavioral health care through innovative applications of technology.  InSight has over two decades of telepsychiatry experience and serves hundreds of organizations across the country with its on-demand, scheduled services and Inpathy divisions. InSight is uniquely positioned to offer scalable telepsychiatry services in settings across the continuum of care. InSight has a diverse team of psychiatry providers, a robust internal infrastructure and a history of adapting its programs to fit the needs of a variety of different settings and populations.  InSight has led the growth of the telepsychiatry industry and remains an industry thought leader and advocate.  To learn more about telepsychiatry and how it can benefit you or your organization, visit www.InSightTelepsychiatry.com.

[1] Pennsylvania Population Health Dashboard. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.haponline.org/Initiatives/Population-Health/Pennsylvania-Population-Health-Dashboard

[2] Pennsylvania Rankings. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/pennsylvania/2017/rankings/schuylkill/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot

[3] Mental Health Resources in Pennsylvania. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.rtor.org/directory/mental-health-pennsylvania/

[4] Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (n.d.). Retreived from https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/mental-health-care-health-professional-shortage-areas-hpsas/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D

[5] https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/09/psychiatrist-shortage-causing-suffering-risk-of-jail-and-suicide-in-central-pa.html