Telepsychiatry Initiative in Rural Emergency Rooms Improves Care for Patients, Safety for Staff
The Telepsychiatry Initiative is a Collaboration between Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Rural Hospital Nonprofit
Texas faces a shortage of mental health care providers, especially in rural areas. With nearly one in five adults living with a mental illness, rural hospital emergency rooms are the primary place where mental health patients are taken. For someone experiencing an acute psychotic event, the emergency room in a rural hospital is not the best environment.
The Telepsychiatry Initiative, a Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (Ογ½ΆΦ±²₯) collaborative, was developed to ensure patients receive the care they need by the people who care for them. The initiative links psychiatrists and other behavioral health providers via telemedicine to rural hospital emergency rooms and departments across Texas.
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