Rogers Behavioral Health expands telehealth services in COVID-19 pandemic

Posted on 04/14/20 09:28:am

Providing new jobs, telehealth, and resources for employees

(APRIL 14, 2020, OCONOMOWOC, WI) Rogers Behavioral Health has adapted its mental health treatment delivery systems to meet the needs of its patients, colleagues, and communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As emergency rooms and other health care providers become increasingly overwhelmed by the pandemic, Rogers is supporting communities by providing highly specialized, evidence-based mental health and addiction treatment that is critically needed at this time.

"It's long been said that necessity is the mother of invention. Rogers already had made in-roads in implementing the electronic delivery of mental health care. But the necessity of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic provided us a catalyst to expedite and greatly expand our telehealth services,” says President and Chief Executive Officer Pat Hammer.

Rogers Connect Care Launches

Rogers Connect Care now provides a telehealth treatment option for patients who would benefit from specialized partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient levels of care. Now virtually serving more than 800 patients across the U.S., Rogers Connect Care provides a secure virtual environment that ensures privacy while allowing patients to continue therapeutic group-based and individual treatment. Learn more at rogersbh.org/connectcare.

"With Rogers Connect Care, we are building on the experience our psychiatrists already had using telemedicine and leveraging Rogers’ longstanding expertise in providing highly effective treatment. Our emerging telehealth capabilities have created a new way of delivering patient-centered psychiatric care," says Dr. Jerry Halverson, chief medical officer. "The heightened demand for mental health and addiction treatment in this pandemic makes it imperative that we utilize new technologies and methods to provide the best possible care that is also safe for both patients and employees during COVID-19."

Meanwhile, Rogers continues to accept patients for inpatient and residential care when appropriate and has immediate availability in several programs. Learn more here about what steps Rogers is taking to prevent the spread of the virus and protect patients and employees.

Rogers Experts Available to Media

During this time of uncertainty and heightened anxiety, Rogers is available to provide expert mental health perspective and media comments on critical topics related to COVID-19, including:

●      Calming anxiety in uncertain times

●      How to ease children’s fears during the COVID-19 crisis

●      Healthy ways to use screen time during the COVID-19 crisis

●      How to maintain normalcy for children and adolescents during COVID-19

●      How to stay mentally healthy while socially distancing

●      Staying resilient in the face of a crisis

●      Tips for medical professionals on the front lines of pandemic (how they can take care of

themselves during the COVID-19 crisis).

In addition to its headquarters in Oconomowoc, WI, Rogers provides mental health treatment at clinics in Appleton, Brown Deer, Kenosha, Madison, and West Allis, WI, as well as San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, CA; Tampa and Miami, FL; Skokie and Hinsdale, IL; Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN; Philadelphia, PA; and Nashville, TN.  A new location in Atlanta, GA will open with virtual treatment in May.

New Jobs

At a time when many have unexpectedly found themselves in search of new employment, Rogers is expanding employment opportunities with more than 200 openings to fulfill the growing support needs of patients, families, and colleagues. One new role is a new behavioral health assistant position to work in its Brown Deer, West Allis, and Oconomowoc locations. See all career opportunities at rogersbh.org/careers.

Employee Assistance

To support its workforce, Rogers is offering employees enhanced benefits, including 14 days of additional paid time off for COVID-19-related needs and extra child care reimbursement. Rogers also worked with the YMCA and other child care providers in Oconomowoc and Milwaukee County to offer care so that employees can be with patients while knowing that their children are being cared for. Area restaurants also provided free and discounted meals to employees.