ORD, Neb. The Heritage Program for Seniors at Valley County Health System (VCHS) earned a 97 percent overall patient satisfaction score during the most recent quarter, highlighting the organizations continued efforts to address the mental health conditions of older adults in central Nebraska.
The Heritage Program for Seniors at VCHS is an individualized, outpatient behavioral health program for adults age 55-plus. The program offers confidential counseling services in both group and individual sessions for patients from throughout central Nebraska who are dealing with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. The program satisfaction scores were taken from regular quarterly (April June 2017) patient discharge surveys, which include questions ranging from understanding treatment plans to perceived progress during the program.
Our focus at the Heritage Program is to help, and empower, our patients
to get well to restore optimal mental and emotional health. The
strong patient satisfaction score reflects our continued success in
creating a welcoming and comfortable therapeutic environment that
enables them to do just that, Heritage Program Mental Health
Therapist Riley Smith, PLCSW, PLMHP said.
Nationwide, according to the American Psychological Association, rural areas
traditionally lack in accessibility and availability of mental health
services compared to urban areas, despite having populations with
equal if not greater prevalence of mental illness.
By offering geriatric mental health services through the Heritage
Program, VCHS is once again demonstrating its leadership in rural
healthcare and commitment to our patients overall wellbeing,
Smith said.
Medical providers or any concerned individual may refer themselves or someone
to the program. Heritage staff will meet with the referred individual
to discuss program details and the admission process.
After trying to deal with grief, anger and isolation issues on my own, I
returned to the Heritage Program for assistance to get better, a
recent self-referred Heritage Program patient from Loup City, Neb.,
said. There is nothing to be afraid of in asking for help. Focus
on getting yourself well. I cant say enough good things about the
Heritage Program in helping me manage and get better [] everyone
is here to support each other.
Patient therapy groups meet every day, Monday through Friday, with most
program participants attending two days a week. Hours are typically
11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Individual and family appointments are
scheduled as needed. Heritage also provides transportation to
and from group sessions, caregiver support and community education.
In addition to Smith, Macaela Haas, PLMHP, as well as Kendra Mach and
Amber Schulenberg, mental health technicians, work with Heritage
Program patients. Consulting psychiatrists Kavir Saxena, MD, and
Sriram Ramaswamy, MD, along with psychiatric nurse practitioner Trish
Lenz, APRN, provide program oversight, medication management and care
coordination.
For more information about the Heritage Program for Seniors at VCHS, call
308.728.4340 or visit
www.valleycountyhealthsystem.org/medical-services/heritage-program-for-seniors.
