The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust https://helmsleytrust.org awarded a $3.9 million grant to NYC Health+Hospitals https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org.
The award will launch and integrate a new tele-behavioral health service into the virtual urgent care platform ExpressCare to help patients.
NYC Health+ Hospitals launched their virtual urgent care program in 2020 to tailor services for homeless patients in partnership with the Helmsley funded NYC Collaborative for Homeless Healthcare, who advised on the process.
The grant supports NYC Health+Hospitals work with the NYC Department of Homeless Services to create a tailored version of the new tele-behavioral healthcare service for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness in a chronically underserved community.
The grant will provide around the clock support for mental health conditions, including psychiatric support and substance abuse treatment. The hospital will develop the tailored version of their behavioral health service to treat patients at 25 homeless shelters and six mobile street outreach clinics in the first year.
As NYC Health+ Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz said, “This grant will allow the hospital to bring mental health and substance abuse services to the homeless 24/7 through the virtual platform.”
In the grant’s second year, NYC Health+Hospitals will use the grant to increase the use of ExpressCare and plan, execute, and evaluate four behavioral health engagement strategies targeted to some of the hardest to reach patients.
The ExpressCare platform also helps to fill a critical healthcare gap facing vulnerable residents, especially throughout the pandemic. The new three year grant will be used to expand ExpressCare’s current reach by including much needed services for consultations or for refilling medications.