The Harbor City Behavioral Health Center (HCBHC) positions itself as a facility dedicated to providing mental health services to its patient populations. The facility points out the pride of its position as one of the fastest growing healthcare groups in the mental health sector through its collaborative group of skilled and collegial behavior practitioners. However, the facility presents some operational gaps, particularly in its efforts to expand access to mental health care in its areas of operation.
Areas for Improvement
HCBHC needs to improve its efforts of increasing access to mental health care services among its customer segments. A review of the media providing information about the mental health facility reveals its over-reliance on infrastructure to enhance access. The facility must focus more on processes than infrastructure to expand its reach. Sagar-Ouriaghli et al. (2019) explain that most mental health facilities focus on increasing the number of psychiatrists rather than adopting swift, efficient, and technologically driven operations to enhance service delivery. Conversely, Titov et al. (2019) propose task shifting to increase access to mental health services. In this case, the facility could use physician assistants (PAs) with specialized training in mental health to enhance its team. However, the PAs need to work under the supervision of qualified psychiatrists in shifting care of the uncomplicated service seekers.
Second, the media presented on HCBHC fails to reveal the facility’s dedication to enhancing safety and reducing harm. As Titov et al. (2019) explain, adversely affected mental health patients tend to develop ideations of self-harm and suicide. In particular, such patients face a range of vulnerabilities that may yield a range of safety issues. HCBHC needs to reveal its mechanisms to minimize harm and its institutional strategies for inculcating patient safety skills among its physicians.
Lastly, the brochure must demystify how the facility handles the legal issues surrounding forensic patients with mental ailments. Titov et al. (2019) underscore the importance of adopting a multi-stakeholder coordination approach when dealing with mentally ill patients facing the legal system. The fact that the media presented does not reveal how the facility deals with such patients reveals its inadequacies.
Where More Information is Needed
The summary report fails to provide exhaustive information on the mechanisms it has adopted to instill self-management among its patients. Sagar-Ouriaghli et al. (2019) applaud self-management as a healing strategy among mentally ill populations based on enhancing the patient’s confidence and developing their abilities to manage their mental states. Conversely, Titov et al. (2019) explain that patients empowered to self-manage are most likely to minimize their contact with the primary care system and reduce their psychiatric symptoms.
Effects of Community Trends on the Organization’s Future
Sagar-Ouriaghli et al. (2019) explain that the prevalence and prognosis of mental health issues a psychiatric facility faces are strongly connected to community-level factors. As such, there are tendencies that the community trends in the environment in which HCBHC operates will dictate its operational trajectory. For instance, the facility will most likely promote scalability, accessibility, affordability, and acceptability as the surrounding communities continue accepting the importance of mental health services. On the other hand, the facility’s operations may shrink if the surrounding communities ignore the need for mental health care or stigmatize patients seeking such services.
References
Sagar-Ouriaghli, I., Godfrey, E., Bridge, L., Meade, L., & Brown, J. S. (2019). Improving mental health service utilization among men: a systematic review and synthesis of behavior change techniques within interventions targeting help-seeking. American journal of men’s health, 13(3), 1557988319857009. Retrieved March 23, 2023, from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1557988319857009
Titov, N., Hadjistavropoulos, H. D., Nielssen, O., Mohr, D. C., Andersson, G., & Dear, B. F. (2019). From research to practice: ten lessons in delivering digital mental health services. Journal of clinical medicine, 8(8), 1239. Retrieved March 23, 2023, from: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/8/8/1239/pdf
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