Progressions
Health Systems
FEATURE
ARTICLE FOR THE FIRST ISSUE OF PROGRESSIONS HEALTH SYSTEMS NEWSLETTER
Partial
Hospitalization: A Successful Route to a Higher Level of Functioning
The
growing demand for partial hospitalization as a preferred method of
treatment for mental health and addiction problems is due to a greater
understanding of its value in the medical community and, in part, to
changes in insurance coverage. In East Brunswick, Progressions Health
System of Central New Jersey is one of the acute psychiatric day treatment
programs that opened recently in response to a increasing need for an
alternative to inpatient treatment and an adjunct to outpatient treatment.
Acute Psychiatric Day Treatment Program
According to Vincent Haba, Jr., Program Director, Progressions Health
System of Central New Jersey, partial hospitalization programs mirror
the intensive treatment of a psychiatric hospital, without the disruption
to a patient's relationships with family, friends, and outpatient therapists.
For many patients, the less restrictive environment of a partial hospital
program has advantages over the inpatient hospital setting.
Partial hospitalization patients can take advantage of the therapeutic
opportunities which arise as a result of the treatment taking place
in the context of their life's experiences. At Progressions, the focus
of the treatment is maximizing functioning ability in the 'here and
now', blended with gaining an understanding of how past events have
contributed to one's current difficulties. When patients return to life
outside the program, they can practice their new coping skills with
stressors in their family and social environment.
"Our acute psychiatric day treatment offers innovative, flexible
structured treatment geared to bring a patient to a higher level of
functioning," Haba explains.
When to use Partial Treatment
Partial hospitalization can be a safe, effective level of care for those
individuals who require a structured day treatment program, but do not
require the 24-hour supervision offered by inpatient and residential
services.
"Although partial hospital programs that are limited to improving
socialization skills can be helpful to some people," says Haba,
"Progressions is an acute psychiatric day treatment service for
individuals who require short-term partial hospitalization care, either
in lieu of an inpatient admission or following an acute inpatient stay
-- to facilitate the transition back to daily life."
Progressions Health System of Central New Jersey treats a variety of
psychiatric disorders with the only requirement that individuals can
contract for safety and have the cognitive abilities to benefit from
the treatment. Focused, intensive treatment modules are offered for
adults, women, and seniors. After an extensive evaluation, patients
attend appropriate groups and their progress is monitored so that adjustments
can be made if the individual is not progressing to a higher level of
functioning. Each intervention is customized to meet the patient's clinical
needs and functional capabilities.
"The program's multidisciplinary team, led by our program psychiatrist,
and staffed by master's and bachelor's level trained mental health professionals
can target and treat each patient's acute symptomatology in an effective
way," Haba explains.
A typical program length of stay varies depending on the severity of
the problem.
"At Progressions we work closely with outpatient therapists to
coordinate our treatment to complement their work," notes Haba.
"Any patient in the partial program can continue to see their therapist
while they're enrolled in our program."
For more information on partial hospitalization or a free copy of the
paper, "Partial Hospital Programs and the Expanding Continuum of
Care" by J. Case, M.D., call Progressions Health System of Central
NJ at 908-873-5550.