Family Medical Center

PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055

NUHEALTH AWARDED GRANT BY THE NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH TO ASSIST OLDER ADULTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

GRANT WILL BE USED TO INITIATE AN INTEGRATED PRIMARY CARE AND MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM FOR AT-NEED GERIATRIC POPULATION IN NASSAU COUNTY

East Meadow, NY…Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System, is pleased to announce that the Nassau University Medical Center has been awarded a grant by the New York State Office of Mental Health,  to establish a physical health- mental health integration program service demonstration project, designed to assist older adults with mental illness. The NuHealth system is one of only three award recipients on Long Island.

In a letter dated July 14, 2011, Don Zalucki, director of the Bureau of Program and Policy Development, stated:  “After careful evaluation, we are pleased to inform you that your proposal has received a Phase II conditional award with a contract start date of July 1, 2012. Congratulations, we look forward to working with you on your physical health-mental health integration program.”

A study completed by the New York State Department of Health shows the communities surrounding the Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, Hempstead, Uniondale, Roosevelt and Freeport as having among the highest rates of psychiatric patients in Nassau County.

The Mental Health Association of Nassau County (MHA) proposes to be the lead agency in a collaborative effort to integrate healthcare into behavioral health settings (Model 1) for adults 55 years of age and older in Nassau County. The MHA intends to partner with the Family and Children’s Association (FCA), as well as NuHealth. This collaboration will allow for a full range of services for consumers age 55+ that will seek to improve the health of the designated population, lessen their dependence on the mental health system, and lower healthcare expenditures. The services range from the NuHealth inpatient psychiatric hospital unit to the recovery services provided by the MHA PROS day program, to the outpatient clinics and senior case management operated by FCA. These services will be supplemented by the physical healthcare provided by NuHealth.  

“This grant is important because it will help us in the initial stages of the development of the Long Island Primary Care/ Mental Health Coalition. The purpose of the coalition is to marry primary care and mental health services in the location in which our vulnerable populations feel most comfortable seeking medical attention, ultimately linking in some way our Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) with mental health providers on Long Island. This grant will enable us to make the initial investments necessary to launch this ambitious effort,” said Gianelli. “Recognition really must go to David Nemiroff, the executive director of the Mental Health Association of Nassau County, and his team as well as Jack O’ Connell and Diane Cohen, and everyone else who worked on this grant application.”

ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life.  Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community.  By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.

For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net