With Array and BlueJeans, Underserved Populations Get the Mental Health Care They Deserve
Everyone deserves great mental health care, whether they’re in a city or in a remote, rural area.
To transform access to quality and timely care, New Jersey–based Array Behavioral Care has taken advantage of advances in telecommunications and the ubiquity of broadband internet services. Its telepsychiatry solutions now provide unprecedented access to mental health professionals, especially for rural and underserved areas where locally licensed clinicians are few and far between.
The solutions offer patients virtual one-to-one care when they seek help at hospitals, community health centers, or other facilities, improving the delivery of care.
Easier Access to Specialists
When a mental health patient enters a hospital emergency department, they have to wait for hours for evaluation or disposition. Emergency departments are not designed or staffed to provide behavioral health patients the care they need. What’s more, many of these departments don’t have access to an on-call psychiatrist for psychiatric emergencies. This can cause a significant delay in care and treatment and lead to increased medical costs due to the extended length of stay.
The process is different for hospitals working with Array. After evaluating the patient, onsite emergency department staff contacts Array. The company then connects the patient with a mental health specialist privileged in the hospital and licensed in that state and arranges a patient–clinician meeting via BlueJeans’ purpose-built telehealth platform.
Generally, an onsite nurse or health technician sets up the computer at the patient’s bedside and initiates the virtual visit with the Array clinician.
This practice is revolutionary for both patients and health facilities alike, according to Carrie DiGregorio, Lead Technical Training Coordinator at Array.
“With Array, a person having an acute psychiatric emergency has access to the mental health care they need much more quickly. They are able to connect with a psychiatrist from Array who can evaluate them and consult with the onsite care team about further treatment or medications.”
And because Array can process requests for a psychiatrist 24/7, facilities deliver care with little to no delay.
Helping Patients in Their Mental Health Journey
Patients have the option to receive care on a routine basis. When used in community health centers, primary care practices, or correctional facilities, Array’s services allow a patient to see the same clinician each visit.
The company also provides virtual psychiatry and therapy services that patients can access from home.
“Wherever people are in their mental health journey, Array has the services and clinical expertise to support them regardless of their care setting or acuity level,” says Senior Director of Marketing Michelle Mann.
Using an Intuitive and Reliable Platform
To deliver these services, Array has relied on superior video conferencing technology and began using BlueJeans Telehealth as soon as the platform became available.
“As we’ve grown, we see how critical it is for our platform to be stable and easy to use, which is why we partner with BlueJeans Telehealth,” says DiGregorio.
Array team members particularly like BlueJeans Telehealth’s intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface. Clinicians also appreciate the way they can walk patients through conditions and medications using the screen share feature.
Security is robust too, with no unauthorized person allowed to access or record a session. This helps ensure compliance with the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which requires high levels of security around patient records.
Getting the Right Support
With BlueJeans Telehealth, Array has delivered virtual psychiatry and therapy services with all the advantages of in-person healthcare.
“We’re committed to providing high-quality care and need a reliable, high-quality platform that allows us to deliver on that commitment,” says DiGregorio.
“The fact that BlueJeans Telehealth gives us that kind of support and flexibility is a sure sign that we’ve made the right choice.”
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About the Author
Sharni Medina is the Director of Customer Marketing at BlueJeans Network, where she is responsible for sharing the voice of customers through customer-driven content and supporting business reference needs. Prior to joining BlueJeans, Sharni worked at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, leading their customer advocacy and referencing organization. Sharni holds degrees in Education and Physical Education from the University of Alberta and a Masters in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco. Outside of the office, Sharni enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
