New York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals has created a $32.2 million program to support adults with complex behavioral health needs as they transition out of inpatient care.
Funded by the New York State Office of Mental Health, the effort will deploy new critical time intervention teams at five of the system’s hospitals across the city.
The multidisciplinary teams — comprised of nurses, care managers, mental health professionals and peer specialists — will work with patients who have had multiple psychiatric hospitalizations or emergency department visits in the past year. The teams will provide up to nine months of post-discharge support and are expected to serve about 650 patients annually.
They will assist with accompanying patients home after discharge, coordinating follow-up care, assisting with public benefits enrollment and connecting patients to community-based services.
The new teams are designed to complement the system’s existing Peer Bridger program, which pairs patients leaving psychiatric emergency settings with peer counselors who have lived experience with mental health or substance use challenges. Peer staff help patients engage with outpatient care and community services.
The programs aim to ensure patients are connected to appropriate wrap around services and reduce readmissions.
