Well Moment: VHAN Continues to Prioritize Behavioral Health With New Webinar Series

Next month is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and it couldn’t come at a better time. In the midst of a global pandemic that caused school and business closures, and added emotional and economic stress for many Americans, many of your patients are facing unprecedented mental health concerns.

To support members in reaching adults and children facing mental health difficulties, VHAN offers robust behavioral health support, including:

• VHAN Pediatric Behavioral Health Consult Line. The consult line connects practices to licensed clinical social workers who help customize patient care plans, navigate community resources and provide guidance on screening tools. VHAN social workers can also connect pediatricians with child and adolescent psychiatrists if medication consultations are needed. Since the line opened in 2018, the group has fielded more than 1,100 calls.  In 2021, VHAN began offering one-time, face-to-face consultations with psychiatry for select children identified through the consult line. The psychiatrist works with the child and family to develop a plan of care to be implemented by the pediatrician.
• VHAN Pediatric Provider Support. VHAN’s Pediatric LCSW and Psychiatry partners are hosting three support sessions for our Pediatric providers to help address the numerous challenges they face caring for our children. The last session is on Wednesday April 28 from 12-1 p.m. CST. Click here to attend the session. VHAN is also piloting virtual Behavioral Health Office Hours every Tuesday from 1 to 3 p.m. Office hours provide a set window for network providers to consult with a clinical psychiatrist and receive guidance for adult behavioral health questions. Dr. Abhinav Saxena, Adult Psychiatrist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, will host these office hours on Zoom, allowing for real-time, face-to-face interaction. If you are interested in participating in the pilot, contact Terri Brady at terri.brady@vhan.com.
• Behavioral Health Learning Opportunities. VHAN hosts frequent behavioral health webinars, addressing such topics as treating anxiety orders and ADHD in children, suicide prevention for children, and diagnosing depression in adults. Find webinar recordings on the VHAN Hub, and be alert for future webinar invitations from VHAN.
• VHANtage Point Discussion Group. VHANtage Point is VHAN’s private digital community designed to facilitate network communications and peer-to-peer learning. Earlier this month, VHAN’s Dr. Abhi Saxena provided two weeks of virtual office hours through the platform. Members posted discussion questions and asked for recommendations specific to adult behavioral health patients. Sign up for VHANtage Point to receive notifications about future discussion opportunities.

In addition to these services, VHAN is excited to launch a new patient-facing program: Well Moment. Well Moment is a dedicated space where better conversations with health experts will result in better overall health for your patients. From webinars and podcasts to infographics and guides, VHAN can help your practice further elevate patient care with the latest resources on a variety of health topics. 

VHAN hosted two prior patient-facing webinars on cyberbullying and anxiety and depression in children. The next Well Moment webinar is set for May 20, 2021, when Catherine Shull, PMHNP-BC, MEd, RN will discuss COVID 19’s Impact on Anxiety in the School Setting.

We encourage you to share this information with parents and family members of pediatric patients along with your adult patients who have children or serve as a caregiver. This webinar is available for all patients and families, not just VHAN members. Click here to learn more or register for the webinar.