The Path Foundation, a Warrenton, Va.-based organization that uses private capital investment to improve health outcomes, has invested $370,000 in the Fauquier Free Clinic, a charity clinic that's also located in Warrenton.
The investment goes toward funding start-up and operations costs for a telepsychiatry and telecounseling program. With this funding, the Fauquier Free Clinic and the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County worked for six months to develop a plan to increase access to behavioral healthcare.
Now, all patients who present at the clinic are screened for behavioral health problems. Patients who are referred through these screenings — or who seek out mental health services themselves — can receive telepsychiatry and telecounseling services at the clinic. The clinic houses two rooms with computer screens, cameras and microphones, which enable patients to speak with a specialty provider.
"Our volunteer therapists do great work, but the number of patients in need greatly exceeds their available time," said Rob Marino, executive director of the Fauquier Free Clinic. "Adding the telehealth option has made an incredible difference for our patients, but it's also made a difference for our physicians. Having the resources to refer a patient to specialists leads to overall better care."