A new innovative community-based health program is bringing counseling, telehealth, advanced psychiatric care, and early intervention programs for youth and young adults, to Southeast Brooklyn.
The new Enhanced Treatment and Recovery (EnTRy) program part of the outpatient psychiatry program at the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone https://nyulangone.org was made possible by a $5 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) https://www.samhsa.gov.
EnTRy will focus on patients with severe mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorders, psychosis, and schizophrenia. Patients will include those already engaged in care through the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, as well as an additional 150 individuals which will reach a 1000 person caseload over the next two years.
According to Hunter L. McQuistion, Medical Director for EnTRy, the program will pay special attention to problems of joblessness, unstable housing, and a lack of digital literacy that can keep patients in a spiral of poor mental health.
Although the Family Health Centers at the NYU Langone outpatient psychiatric clinic has been in operation for five decades, experts there have seen patient demand for services grow by nearly 30 percent over the past 2 years as a result of the pandemic.
Increased acceptance of telehealth has helped meet demand for mental healthcare, but those without access to digital tools and skills have struggled. In-person check-ins and outreach with smart tablets will be part of the EnTRy approach to maintaining patient contact.