Statement from National Council for Mental Wellbeing President and CEO Chuck Ingoglia on The New Role of Virtual Care in Behavioral Health Report in Conjunction with Qualifacts Systems Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Sophia Majlessi
SophiaM@TheNationalCouncil.org
(202) 621-1631
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 5, 2020) – Patients seeking behavioral health treatment and services faced barriers to access prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic made those barriers more imposing. It also made behavioral health treatment more urgent because the pandemic has fueled anxiety, fear and trauma.
“The National Council for Mental Wellbeing and Qualifacts recently surveyed a nationwide group of more than 1,000 behavioral health executives and staff on the topic of virtual care. Survey respondents shared their insights on the challenges around virtual care, as well as their hopes for its continued use in the coming months and years,” the new report says.
The New Role of Virtual Care in Behavioral Health shares how providers are embracing technology and virtual care as an ongoing part of their treatment toolbox rather than a short-term solution during a national emergency.
“Telehealth has always eliminated barriers to access. With the pandemic erecting substantial new barriers to in-person care, patients and providers embraced telehealth in historic numbers,” said National Council President and CEO Chuck Ingoglia. “That’s because virtual care allows patients to overcome those obstacles and have access to the life-saving care they need. Virtual care isn’t just convenient. It also represents the safest most efficient means to provide behavioral health treatment and services during the pandemic. While virtual care has many benefits, it is acutely apparent that due to digital disparities it is not accessible for all patients. However, this timely survey, done in partnership with Qualifacts, clearly demonstrates that virtual care is here to stay and will remain a viable option for treatment long after the pandemic.”
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About the National Council for Mental Wellbeing
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is the unifying voice of America’s health care organizations that deliver mental health and addictions treatment and services. Together with our 3,326 member organizations serving over 10 million adults, children and families living with mental illnesses and addictions, the National Council is committed to all Americans having access to comprehensive, high-quality care that affords every opportunity for recovery. The National Council introduced Mental Health First Aid USA and more than 2 million Americans have been trained.
About Qualifacts System Inc.
Qualifacts is one of the most trusted technology providers of Electronic Health Records (EHR) for behavioral health and human services organizations. As a strategic partner, Qualifacts and its EHR platform, CareLogic®, helps customers focus on what is most important – client care – by optimizing efficiency and productivity while also keeping them ahead of the ever-changing regulatory landscape. For more information, visit www.qualifacts.com.
About The National Council
Founded in 1969, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing is a membership organization that drives policy and social change on behalf of over 3,400 mental health and substance use treatment organizations and the more than 10 million children, adults and families they serve. We advocate for policies to ensure equitable access to high-quality services. We build the capacity of mental health and substance use treatment organizations. And we promote greater understanding of mental wellbeing as a core component of comprehensive health and health care. Through our Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program, we have trained more than 3 million people in the U.S. to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.