Brandywine Hospital’s Behavioral Health Older Adult team with Chester County Commissioner, Terence Farrell, discussing the Unit’s resources and recent enhancements that are positively impacting community health.
Brandywine Behavioral Health welcomed community members, physicians, hospital associates, senior centers, social workers, and local officials to its Open House on Tuesday, October 20 to tour the hospital’s 64-bed Behavioral Health Pavilion and raise awareness about mental illness and the resources available to Chester County and the surrounding communities.
Attendees also met the new Vice President of Behavioral Health Jayne Van Bramer. Since she started in August, Van Bramer has led work to create a therapeutic environment and improve access to care with a more streamlined patient intake process. Staff has been trained in the evidence-based practice of motivational interviewing and service recovery, and ongoing training for co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders, cognitive behavioral therapy, and wellness self-management are planned. Holistic therapies such as aromatherapy and purposeful breathing have also been added.
“These enhancements are designed to improve access to behavioral health resources in our community and prepare our caregivers to respond quickly to our patients’ needs,” said Van Bramer. “We help individuals in our care identify their talents, find their passion and be defined by their strengths rather than their illness. We can help them start on this journey… providing treatment for today and hope for tomorrow—the most important catalyst for recovery.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, mental illness affects one in four Americans. Despite effective treatment for mental illness, there can be long delays, sometimes decades, between the first appearance of treatment and when people seek or receive help. These delays are due to stigma, a lack of knowledge about behavioral health, and the absence of mental health services.
Individuals with mental illness often suffer from medical co-morbidities (have at least one medical condition) at an alarming rate. The strength of Brandywine’s Behavioral Health Unit lies in the fact that it is located at Brandywine Hospital and can access other health services quickly to accommodate patients’ physical needs. Collaboration among a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses and other staff has been shown to treat individuals effectively with co-morbid physical and mental conditions.
In conjunction with the Open House, artwork created by patients was on display, depicting what recovery means to each of them and how it is interpreted.
To learn about the services and programs offered at Brandywine Behavioral Health, visit BrandywineHospital.com. (Click on Behavioral Health under Services.)
