Page 2 - SilverLinings Issue 5

SILVER HILL HOSPITAL
Advocacy must be part of Silver Hill Hospital’s mission.
It is an unfortunate truth in our country that not everyone who needs quality mental health treatment can get it. Whether the barrier
is geographical, financial, or for a myriad of other reasons, many people who would benefit from care simply do not have access to it.
The problem continues to get worse as the demand for services increases. This started before the COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by increased rates of suicide, substance misuse and other factors. COVID concerns, restrictions and isolation exacerbated the problem to the point where we now have a widespread mental health crisis.
We must think on a systemic level about what we are doing wrong in this country and how we can improve access to mental health care for everyone. Because of our expertise at Silver Hill, it is our ethical responsibility to fight on behalf of individuals with mental illness who are not able to fight for themselves. Thus, advocacy becomes part of our mission, particularly when it comes to advancing access and affordability for the types of services we provide and feel strongly that everyone is entitled to.
At Silver Hill, we feel it is our obligation to partner with other agencies working in less fortunate areas. These communities need an adequate supply of physicians and staff at community agencies need to be trained on the latest treatments. We are working on several projects in Bridgeport, including a potential collaboration with the state and Yale to bring an Early Treatment Psychosis program to that underserved city.
We also feel that intermediate levels of care (residential, intensive outpatient, and partial hospital programs) should be adequately reimbursed by commercial and government payers. We are
taking steps to collect and analyze data that will not only direct individualized treatment but will also quantify the need for intermediate levels of care. We have the capacity here to address the lack of reimbursement for those services in the system as a whole.
As mental health care providers, our first obligation is to our patients. This is something we do every day. But it is also our obligation to think about the big picture and figure out what we can do as a society for the long-term wellbeing of individuals, ideally preventing these illnesses from ever taking hold. That is and has always been an essential part of our mission as well.
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Andrew J. Gerber, M.D., Ph.D. President and Medical Director
IN THIS ISSUE
4 Cover Story: New Landscaping Takes Shape 6 Concerns Over Cannabis
10 The Angel in Austin
12 Using Data for Better Patient Outcomes
14 A Patient’s Story: Anthony Salvati
17 Fund Helps Patients Get Quality Care
19 The Annual Fund for Silver Hill Hospital