Maryland's Health Matters - BWMC - Fall 2016 - 9

"We're trying to encourage people to help their families and friends who may be struggling, before it's too late," says Sherry Leikin. "Losing a loved one to suicide is such a horrible thing for a family to go through, and we don't want any other family to experience this." HOW UM BWMC IS HELPING INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL ILLNESSES UM BWMC is proud to offer both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health programs aimed at providing a structured therapeutic environment for adults at least 18 years of age. Our individual and group psychoeducational services involve psychotherapy, community reintegration, medication stabilization, and family consultation and education services. "Our interdisciplinary team of psychiatrists, nurses, occupational therapists and social workers develop treatment plans that are individualized for a patient's specific needs," says Kurt Haspert, CRNP, addiction medicine nurse practitioner at UM BWMC. WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU UM BWMC offers a support group open to all community members that discusses a variety of mental health topics such as depression, anxiety, addictions and bipolar disorder, as well as community resources and services available to patients and their families. The group meets at 6:30 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of each month at UM BWMC. See page 18 for details. "Along with treatment, we may provide referrals to private-practice psychiaKurt Haspert, CRNP trists, therapists and other community support services to ensure a patient's continued wellness." UM BWMC features a secure inpatient nursing unit that provides short-term acute care, overnight medical treatment and therapy to patients who need lifesaving care for their behavioral health condition. Our Emergency Department features a dedicated area for our mental health clinicians to safely evaluate patients who arrive in a behavioral health emergency or crisis status as a result of mental illnesses and/ or substance abuse disorders. Our comprehensive services also include a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) and an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) that offer daytime treatment programs for mental health patients who are discharged from the hospital but require additional treatment to support their recovery. We also have an in-house outpatient clinic, the "Bridge Clinic," that helps transition our discharged patients to a successful home life by providing medical and psychotherapy appointments between the time they leave the hospital and the day DID YOU KNOW? ■ One-half of all chronic mental illness begins by the age of 14; three-quarters by the age of 24. ■ UM BWMC is the only acute-care hospital in Anne Arundel County that offers a full range of intensive mental health services for adult patients. ■ Earlier this year, UM BWMC jointly with the Anne Arundel County Department of Health was awarded a $227,908 federal grant to treat individuals suffering from an opiate overdose, most often from heroin addiction. The grant has funded a nurse coordinator and peer specialists who help coordinate care plans for patients and support them throughout recovery in order to reduce relapses, increase patients' success and save lives. they can meet with a community health provider. findadoctor.mybwmc.org to find a doctor close to you. mybwmc.org | Fall 2016 9 http://www.mybwmc.org http://findadoctor.mybwmc.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maryland's Health Matters - BWMC - Fall 2016