Special Projects Fund

Grantee Name

St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center

Funding Area

Special Projects Fund

Publication Date

April 2008

Grant Amount

$149,678

Grant Date:

January 2007 – December 2007

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Syracuse residents with mental illnesses encounter a number of barriers when attempting to access quality mental health care.

Too many individuals rely on a single source of acute mental health care— the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) at St Joseph’s Hospital Health Center—despite whether or not they require intensive emergency services. Prior to 2007, CPEP had performed very limited outreach and used existing clinical staff to do so. CPEP’s leadership believed they could increase access to mental health services in the community through use of a mobile crisis team staffed by trained clinicians.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • The mobile crisis project has been self-sufficient with an average of 46 visits per month, approximately half of which are paid for by Medicaid.
  • Project staff had hoped to have a second team up and running by December 2007, but as of mid 2008, have not accomplished that.