RENTON, Wash.,  July 28, 2021  /PRNewswire/ -- Five years ago this month, Providence Health & Services and St. Joseph Health joined together to serve the Western U.S. Thanks to its 120,000 caregivers, the health system has increased access to care over the last five years. Today, Providence provides 25.6 million patient visits per year and $1.7 billion annually in uncompensated care and other community benefit.

"We integrated in 2016 on the premise that we could serve our communities better together than we could on our own. Never has that been more evident than in our response to COVID-19. Because we operate as an integrated health system across seven states, we were uniquely prepared to respond when the first U.S. patient with COVID-19 presented at one of our hospitals. Together, we immediately put our entire organization on high alert, rapidly sharing resources, best practices and innovations across the seven states we serve," said Rod Hochman, M.D., president & CEO of Providence.

Five years ago, the newly combined organization also put a stake in the ground on the issue of mental health, establishing Well Being Trust as an independent 501(c)(3) organization focused on the mental health and well-being of the nation.

"With the national mental health crisis exacerbated by the pandemic, Well Being Trust has been at the forefront of the issue, tirelessly raising the flag, shaping policy and advancing solutions to support those in urgent need," Dr. Hochman said.

Over the past five years, Well Being Trust has invested in scores of evidence-based approaches that model the way forward in increasing access to integrated whole person care. In a few short years, the organization has become a leading investor, convener, policy advocate and catalyst, working to reverse deaths of despair and increase healthy life years for all in the United States.

"Well Being Trust partners and invests in systems-change initiatives that transform care, assure affordable access to that care, and create the upstream community conditions that give rise to equitable well-being in the first place," said Tyler Norris, CEO, Well Being Trust. "Since our inception five years ago, we've helped grow the nationwide social movement for mental health and well-being, while creating proof points of what works, and delivering solution sets to help spread action that can create population-level outcomes."

Providence is meeting the mental health needs of its local communities in many other ways as well. For example, by creating a network of psychiatrists and social workers, the health system has brought behavioral health services to 36 communities that previously did not have access to these resources, including rural communities. Providence has also invested in new behavioral health facilities, such as a 24-bed unit in Everett, Wash., and a 94-bed unit in Orange, Calif., as part of the Be Well OC community partnership.

In addition, the health system has been committed to destigmatizing mental health, especially among young people. Work2BWell offers free resources to teens, parents and families and amplifies young voices for mental health. Providence is also partnering with Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to share clinically vetted mental health content. As part of this work, the health system closely monitors its social feeds to intercept and engage with those in crisis as well as educate and train other key partners on how best to support people via social media in their time of need.

Most important, the health system is supporting the mental and spiritual health of its caregivers. Resources include 25 free counseling sessions per year through Providence's Caregiver Assistance Program and a mental health checkup through My Mental Health Matters. Behavioral health specialists and chaplains are also checking in with teams across the health system to discuss their experiences and provide support as part of Providence's No One Cares Alone program.

Mental health and well-being remains a critical issue across the nation:

• One in five Americans suffer from mental health issues each year, however only 12.5% of persons with substance use disorders and 43.6% of those with any mental illness report receiving care.
• The indirect cost of care and loss of productivity attributed to mental health concerns is estimated to be over $400 billion dollars annually in the US.
• Every day an average of 416 people perish from deaths of despair related to suicide and drug overdose and 3,740 teenagers (between the grade of 9-12) attempt suicide. There has been a 25% increase in suicide the last 15 years.

"Providence is committed in our effort to lead the way in improving our nation's mental health and emotional well-being," said Arpan Waghray, MD, Providence chief medical officer of behavioral health.  "We envision doing so through reducing stigma, expanding timely access, and improving quality mental health and substance use care for our people, our patients, and our communities. Our aspiration is to achieve optimal mental health & wellness for all, where no one dies alone and in despair by suicide or drug overdose."

About Providence 
Providence is a national, not-for-profit Catholic health system comprising a diverse family of organizations and driven by a belief that health is a human right. With 52 hospitals, over 1,000 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing, and many other health and educational services, the health system and its partners employ more than 120,000 caregivers serving communities across seven states – Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, with system offices in Renton, Wash., and Irvine, Calif. Learn about our vision of health for a better world at Providence.org. 

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SOURCE Providence