A 2021 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that more than 93,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in 2020, a nearly 30% increase from the year prior, with opioids significantly contributing to the rise in deaths.

While national and local efforts continue to be made to stop the worsening epidemic, Sheppard Pratt has taken a big step forward in this arena with the opening of its Opioid Treatment Program, a new layer within the organization’s Partners in Recovery Program. The new program opened on Sheppard Pratt’s campus in summer 2021. It is a renovated space, packed with innovative technology and designed with patient safety and privacy needs in mind. And, the goal is to clinically address opioid misuse, overuse, and overdose, as a way of saving lives.

“Sheppard Pratt touches thousands of people across our continuum of mental health services and our data shows that about one third of them have a substance use concern, often in the mix as a co-occurring issue,” said Jason Martin, PsyD, who serves as director of addiction services at Sheppard Pratt. “Substance use often begins as a coping mechanism—to minimize emotional or physical pain—and then can quickly become a substance abuse situation. We have a responsibility to deliver holistic care for our patients and to address this problem for our society as a whole.”

One guiding principle within the Opioid Treatment Program is acknowledgement that both reduction and elimination of problematic opioid use can be deemed successful. The integrated team of addiction medicine psychiatrists, nurses, substance abuse counselors, and social workers emphasize that abstinence is the ideal end goal for every patient, but at the same time, small, gradual changes are also noted as big steps in the right direction.

“We try to reason with our patients; to understand their feelings and perspectives by asking a lot of questions, listening, and being empathetic to what they are going through,” explained Jeff Richardson, LCSW-C, MBA, vice president and chief operating officer of community services. “We engage them in conversations about why they use and what might convince them to make a change, even if that simply means eliminating one drug or cutting back on their frequency of use. This takes some people by surprise. They come in expecting us to push them to quit using completely, with no exceptions, and that is not always the best approach.”

As a first step, those who turn to the clinic undergo a comprehensive assessment with a clinical provider, who develops a recommendation on the patient’s most appropriate level of intervention. In most cases, the proposed plan of care includes a combination of outpatient therapy or partial hospitalization, and a supervised medication schedule, designed to effectively manage and minimize symptoms of withdrawal. Many patients also interact with peer support specialists—former substance users who understand patient needs from a personal perspective, and who offer inspiration and hope by sharing their own stories of recovery.

“Our peer support specialists allow patients to see that substance use issues impact everyday kind of people in our world; people who are parents and grandparents, who have jobs and kind souls, and who are just like them, in many ways,” said Dr. Martin. “Their stories are real and they share their lived experience, which demonstrates that even under the toughest of circumstances, change is possible.”

The Opioid Treatment Program is managed using a novel hub-and-spoke model, which begins care at Sheppard Pratt’s Towson campus for initial intervention, and seamlessly transitions them to care sites closer to their home community so they can thrive for the long term.

“The spokes are a critically important consultative piece, with the top priority being to keep patients stabilized and out of the hospital,” said Dr. Martin. “This model will continue to position Sheppard Pratt as the provider of choice for mental health services, and specifically for those who need substance use treatment.”

The launch of the Opioid Treatment Program and its hub-and-spoke network was supported in part by grant funding from the Maryland Opioid Operational Command Center. and Baltimore County Maryland ranked third in the U.S. in overall drug overdose deaths in 2018, and 90% of those were opioid related.

“Giving people a place to turn for help was our first priority,” said Richardson. “Educating them on substance use, its impact, and resources available, is another. It’s especially important in light of the COVID pandemic and the many ways it has exacerbated the need for behavioral health care.”

Crisis services: It’s what sets Sheppard Pratt apart. From Psychiatric Urgent Care to residential crisis beds to mobile crisis programs, these timely and critical services position the organization as a pioneer in the delivery of comprehensive, patient-centric care options.

Cultivating a Home-like Environment for Intense Psychiatric Care

Sheppard Pratt operates five residential crisis homes across Maryland, making it the largest provider of residential crisis services in the state. Within each, intense, around-the-clock psychiatric care is available in a comfortable, home-like setting for patients diagnosed with a range of mental illnesses. Collectively, Sheppard Pratt’s residential crisis services are diverting hospital admissions, reducing the length of stay in hospital care, providing a step-down option for patients ready for discharge from a hospital setting, and creating more positive and fulfilling experiences for patients experiencing mental health crises.

“We have created environments that allow the individuals we serve to continue living and connecting with others as they are undergoing treatment,” said Susan Cromwell, senior director of rehabilitation and recovery at Sheppard Pratt. Residential crisis services allow people to work through their crisis and maintain their connections to family and work.

The average length of stay for individuals served in a residential crisis home is 14 days. During this time, individuals take prescribed medications with oversight by psychiatrists and nurse practitioners and coaching by residential crisis counselors. Through group and individual therapy, there is a focus on skill development and goal setting. In addition to restoring pre-crisis level of functioning, patients develop new strategies to prevent future mental health crises. A key component to ensuring long-term success occurs through building meaningful connections by participating in meal preparations and social activities. Family visitation is encouraged during the evening hours, which also aids to heal frayed relationships from past crises.

Sheppard Pratt’s residential crisis homes are located in Baltimore County, Frederick County, Howard County, and most recently, a new crisis home located in Montgomery County. Developed in partnership with all six community hospitals in Montgomery County, this 16-bed residential home will transition individuals from emergency departments and inpatient units of those hospitals. The unique collaboration highlights an innovation in residential crisis care management that embeds residential crisis staff in the participating hospitals to assess individuals for eligibility, streamline the referral process, and transport them to the residential crisis home.

Mobile Crisis Services Offered in Frederick County

This year Sheppard Pratt expanded its mobile crisis services within Frederick County, including an innovative partnership with the city’s emergency responders. In addition to increasing access to mobile crisis services from 40 hours per week to 24/7, this partnership launched the Crisis Response Team pilot program, which pairs Sheppard Pratt counselors trained to mediate and manage crisis events with non-uniformed police officers and EMS providers to respond to mental health emergencies across the City of Frederick. The counselors assist with deescalation and stabilization, plus identify short- and long-term options for care. Sometimes, the call for help comes from the person who is in crisis; in most cases, it comes from a family member, friend, human service agency, or private citizen who has witnessed a situation that might benefit from intervention by trained mental health professionals.

“This program allows us to respond in a way that recognizes mental health crises as a health concern,” said Scott Rose, chief of rehabilitation and recovery for Sheppard Pratt. “Our job is to react in the moment but also assure the person knows where to turn for help beyond that moment.”

“Every day at Sheppard Pratt we are looking at mental illness in different ways to achieve improved outcomes,” said Scott Aaronson, MD, chief science officer, Institute for Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics. Dr.  Aaronson is a world-renowed leader in mental health care research and has played a key role in advancing treatment protocols and developing innovative treatment. Under his leadership, Sheppard Pratt will launch the Center of Excellence for Psilocybin Research and Treatment that will merge science, research, technology, and innovative design to investigate the impact of psilocybin therapy and psychedelic medication regimens. The center will open during fiscal year 2022 on Sheppard Pratt’s Towson campus, in partnership with COMPASS Pathways plc, an international mental health care company recognized as a pioneer in the development of evidence-based therapeutic treatments.

“The new Center of Excellence will showcase ‘the clinic of the future’ and integrate many of our existing and future clinical priorities,” said Dr. Aaronson, a psychiatrist for more than 40 years. “It will give researchers a new platform to engage with Sheppard Pratt as we build care models for the future.”

Sheppard Pratt was one of just a few sites across the United States invited to participate in COMPASS’ phase 2 psilocybin research trial. Its COMP360 psilocybin therapy, administered in tandem with psychological support from specially trained therapists, has the potential to transform the way behavioral health providers treat patients with bipolar disorder, depression with chronic suicidal ideation, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder, among others. Initial investigator-initiated studies, by Dr. Aaronson and his team over the past two years, have produced promising—sometimes even breathtaking— results. One specific patient, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, exemplified what is in the realm of possible.

“Psychedelics administered over a period of nine hours, following an extensive preparation process, had a profound impact on the patient, who was struggling greatly, unemployed, and self-medicating in order to function,” Dr. Aaronson said. “It made what once felt like a 10-foot hurdle feel more like a 2-foot hurdle. The experience instilled acceptance of current reality, a positive change in outlook, and the emergence of a core belief that over time, things could get better. The impact was profound.”

Sheppard Pratt is one of the first hospitals in the U.S. to conduct clinical studies in the use of psychedelic therapies for patients diagnosed with mood disorders. Research will also be conducted within our Center of Excellence to evaluate the use of psychedelics for treatment of depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental illnesses. As the space is constructed, optimizing the patient experience will be integral to care design. The center will feature four private psychedelic therapy rooms, with garden views to create an environment of care that is welcoming and therapeutic for patients.

“Psychedelics offer a new approach that can be considered for the treatment of many mental illnesses,” said Dr. Aaronson, citing PTSD, autism spectrum disorder, racial trauma, and eating disorders as additional examples. “I believe the Center of Excellence will be a unique and valuable resource for the Sheppard Pratt community as well as other health care organizations and providers across the state, regionally, and even nationally.”

Education and training for behavioral health providers will be another key priority at the Center of Excellence once it opens. Providers and therapists will have opportunities to pursue certifications and build new skills as clinical trials, proof-of-concept studies, and digital patient care solutions are investigated and deployed. This, combined with the opportunity to assess mental illnesses and treatment options in new ways, with a focus on optimizing patient outcomes, is generating much excitement about what lies ahead at Sheppard Pratt.

“With great vision and continued investment, we have the potential to revolutionize treatment options and bring innovative solutions to patients,” said Harsh K. Trivedi, MD, MBA, president and chief executive officer at Sheppard Pratt.

In today’s world, especially in the midst of a pandemic, more children are benefitting from seeing a therapist. With a commitment to providing care and useful resources for students and their families, Prince George’s County Public Schools launched its Youth First Care Program in partnership with Sheppard Pratt in 2020. The vision was to bring much-needed mental health support and services into schools—where kids could seek care in a space that is comfortable and familiar. When the program was introduced, Sheppard Pratt provided services in four Prince George’s County schools. It has since expanded, and Sheppard Pratt now provides services in 30 elementary and middle schools across the county, more than any other partner.

“We take a very integrated approach, collaborating with teachers, administrators, case managers, individualized education plan (IEP) coordinators, and parents, to fully understand what is happening in a child’s life that is causing them to struggle,” said Liz Briganty, LCSW-C, Youth First Care Program director at Sheppard Pratt. “These perspectives are important as we build connections with the child, show them we are here to encourage and support them, and identify pathways for positive outcomes.”

Children are referred to the Youth First Care Program when adults who care about their well-being see signs of trauma or grief, abuse or neglect, depression or anxiety, problems with school attendance or performance, bullying, aggressive behavioral issues, or substance use concerns. The process begins with parent notification and approval and is followed by a phase of discovery, allowing the therapist to observe the child in the classroom and join conversations with teachers. From there, the therapist will facilitate individualized therapy sessions with the child during the school day.

“Our goal is to help kids process their life experiences and give them guidance and tools to cope,” said Karla Hoffman, chief of families and communities at Sheppard Pratt. “Sometimes we see great improvements quickly. In other cases, the impact is realized later. We are focused on helping the child to truly excel in the classroom or to handle a big life transition smoothly.”

The 20 clinical therapists from Sheppard Pratt who facilitate the Youth First Care Program had to think creatively about how to deliver care in new ways, while public schools remained closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a team, they identified new ways to connect and create impact in Prince George’s County schools—some of which they had never physically stepped foot into.

“If a door closed, our staff figured out how to get the job done,” said Briganty. “They have done a phenomenal job connecting with students and families to assure this program would not only be sustained but also grow during the pandemic.”

The value of that commitment has been made clear. Between August 2020 and July 2021, therapy was provided for 63 suicidal children across 23 Prince George’s County schools.

“We are pioneering this program during the pandemic and it has presented a lot of challenges, but along with that, so much opportunity, too,” said Hoffman. “It can literally change the way a child sees the world.”

The need for behavioral health services is tremendous, and rapidly growing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the many ways it has impacted people’s lives. In many communities, the availability of psychiatric providers capable of delivering comprehensive, high-quality, outcomes-based care at scale is extremely limited. People who need help don’t know where to turn, or the needed services may not exist in their community. And, the impact of these scenarios on individuals, families, and communities is felt daily across the nation.

This year, Sheppard Pratt Solutions—a new division—was launched to support the increased demand for behavioral health services locally, regionally, and nationally. Its purpose is to facilitate the formation of partnerships with hospitals, health care systems, outpatient clinical practices, and other organizations to help establish and improve delivery of hospital and community-based behavioral health services in their community.

“Sheppard Pratt is recognized and respected as the national leader, with an unmatched breadth and depth of knowledge, clinical expertise, and resources in the behavioral health space,” said Jennifer Wilkerson, vice president and chief strategy officer at Sheppard Pratt. “Sheppard Pratt Solutions allows us to stretch our services broader and deeper, working with partner organizations to make mental health services available in communities across the nation.”

The scope of services provided by Sheppard Pratt Solutions includes consulting, management services, and development of new services or facilities. Partnerships can be consultative in nature, where the focus is on developing plans to build or enhance an organization’s behavioral health services. Management services are best suited for those who have a behavioral health program in place, yet require executive and clinical leadership support to deliver and optimize it. And, development-based partnerships are designed to help organizations expand behavioral health services across a variety of care settings.

Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center was one of the first to pursue a management-based contract with Sheppard Pratt Solutions. Driven by results from its community needs assessment, the organization invested in a 16-bed behavioral health hospital and then turned to Sheppard Pratt for leadership resources to manage it, along with its partial hospitalization and Pathways programs.

Other early adopters in Maryland include Garrett Regional Medical Center, with a focus on expanding telepsychiatry services in its emergency department, inpatient units, and behavioral health center, and CalvertHealth, whose leaders are committed to growing its behavioral health service line with a Sheppard Pratt-supported staffing model. Psychiatrists and nurse practitioners employed by Sheppard Pratt work collaboratively with CalvertHealth leaders to provide specialized mental health services in community-based settings. Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) has also partnered with Sheppard Pratt Solutions for collaborative care integration by embedding behavioral health services in its primary care practices.

“There are more Sheppard Pratt psychiatrists than some states have in total, and the depth of our behavioral health expertise is unparalleled,” said Steve Merz, chief operating officer for Sheppard Pratt Solutions. “Sheppard Pratt Solutions is designed to provide an answer when the call comes in from health care leaders across the state, region, and nation who know they need to provide behavioral health care services for their community, but don’t necessarily have access to the right resources or expertise to deliver it. We can fill that gap, with a shared commitment to adding or enhancing behavioral health services for the growing number of people out there who need them.”

Sheppard Pratt Solutions is committed to building customized programs for each partner it works with, beginning with processes of discovery and alignment to understand its prospective partner’s capabilities, needs, goals, and opportunities. The tremendous need for better behavioral health is evidenced by partners in 17 states, with more on the horizon.

“We are sometimes asked who else is ‘like’ Sheppard Pratt. And the answer is—no one,” said Wilkerson. “Sheppard Pratt Solutions opens a door for us to join forces with organizations that share our mission, values, and goals, and expand access at a time when the need for behavioral health services is rapidly growing.”

It’s hard to imagine that COVID-19 is still as much a part of our daily lives as it was in 2020—when we thought 2021 would be moving toward reopening and recovery.

We have already begun to see the impact on mental health. And the pandemic has exacerbated the mental health crisis that already existed.

A study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported increased symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder during the pandemic and that many adults who reported worsened mental health due to the pandemic also put off getting treatment. A survey by Mental Health America found 54% of 11- to 17-year-olds reported frequent suicidal thoughts or self-harm in the prior two weeks, which is the highest rate since it began screening in 2014. And U.S. deaths from drug overdoses leapt nearly 30% to more than 93,000 in 2020—the highest ever recorded.

Yet, we know the numbers tell only part of the story.

“Sheppard Pratt has been integral to our nation’s response to COVID-19 during the initial surge of cases, then the beginning of the recovery, and now again as the pandemic continues,” said Harsh K. Trivedi, MD, MBA, president and CEO of Sheppard Pratt.

Throughout the past year, we responded to the increased need for access by implementing telepsychiatry across our network of programs and services. Our scale of growth and the ability to roll it out helped reduce health disparities in our communities for those struggling to access care. From April 2020 to June 2021, we provided more than 500,000 telehealth visits across all of our programs. We kept all 19 of Sheppard Pratt’s inpatient units, totaling over 300 inpatient psychiatric beds, open and accepting admissions to reduce wait times for inpatient psychiatric beds. Our special education schools continuously pivoted to provide virtual and hybrid learning options to more than 700 students across the state—developing innovative and out-of-the-box ideas to ensure students received vital mental health and education services.

Employees in our community-based programs created care packages for students and took them for walks and bike rides to keep them active and engaged in their recovery efforts. Staff also delivered more than 300,000 meals and medications so our clients could continue to remain safe but receive the resources they needed.

In December 2020, we turned our conference center in Towson into a vaccine clinic for the next four months. We provided vaccinations to our eligible employees across the state, including our psychiatry residents/fellows, as well as vaccinating other behavioral health providers. We also created satellite clinics around the state in Frederick, Gaithersburg, White Marsh, and Baltimore to reach those for whom transportation was a barrier. We also vaccinated our clients who live in our behavioral health group homes.

“It was imperative that we prioritized vaccinating this high-risk population,” said Dr. Trivedi. “We staunchly advocated to ensure those most vulnerable were eligible to receive the vaccine early in the state’s tiered distribution plan.”

As the uncertainty and anxiety with COVID-19 continues, Sheppard Pratt is here to support our communities as we find the path forward and play a role in the recovery of our communities.

As we navigated through the pandemic, the quality of our services to patients, students, families, and communities remained unchanged. We are proud that our ever-growing network of more than 160 high-quality programs now expand beyond Maryland to provide hope and meet the growing need for behavioral health services.

We are committed to providing a comprehensive continuum of care, from mental health, substance use, and special education to developmental disability and social services. The following map depicts the care and services offered throughout our organization.

Net Revenues (in millions of dollars)

FY '20: $374.2

FY '21: $365.0

Sheppard Pratt Statistics FY '21

Inpatient days: 95,491

Educational days: 126,060

Officers and Executive Staff

Harsh K. Trivedi, MD, MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer

Gregory Gattman, FACHE
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Hospitals

Jeffrey Grossi, JD
Chief of Government Relations

Thomas D. Hess, MBA, MEd
Chief of Staff

Chip Maust, EdD
Vice President and Chief of Schools and Residential Treatment Centers

Todd Peters, MD
Vice President and Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Information Officer

Donna L. Richardson, MBA
Vice President and Chief Development Officer

Jeff Richardson, LCSW-C, MBA
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Community Services

Karen Robertson-Keck, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Vice President, Human Resources

Kelly Savoca, CPA, MBA
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Laura Lawson Webb, MSN, RN-BC
Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer

Jennifer Weiss Wilkerson, MHSA, FACHE
Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer

Dear Friends,

At the June opening celebration of our new Baltimore/Washington campus, Sheppard Pratt President and CEO Dr. Harsh K. Trivedi announced The Campaign to Transform Mental Health Care, a $50 million fundraising effort that underscores our commitment to advancing mental health care.

The ambitious campaign supports projects like the new hospital, but more importantly, it is driving the development and expansion of programs and services in five key areas: expanding existing programs and services; recruiting and retaining the best behavioral health professionals; advancing research; promoting best practices; and leading the conversation about mental health internationally.

As of June 30, 2021, nearly $40 million has already been raised toward the goal. During FY ’21 the following gifts and grants supported key objectives. Among the projects made possible with community support are:

• Center for Autism – A major grant from the Women’s Hospital Foundation funded the creation of a Center for Autism to diagnose and treat preschool-age children. Sheppard Pratt is one of the few autism programs nationally that treats autism patients from childhood well into adulthood.
• Psychiatric Urgent Care – A grant from the Horizon Foundation, in partnership with the United Way of Central Maryland, and a grant from the France-Merrick Foundation funded the startup of the Psychiatric Urgent Care at the Sheppard Pratt – Baltimore/Washington Campus, providing same-day access to mental health care for people in crisis.
• Opioid Treatment Program – We secured a grant to create a new opioid treatment clinic on Sheppard Pratt’s Towson campus that will also serve as a hub of expertise for our other community-based addiction treatment programs in Baltimore, Maryland. The clinic will be an important tool in treating opioid addiction, which sadly claimed more lives in 2020 than ever before.
• Institute for Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics – Sheppard Pratt is one of the nation’s leading clinical research sites using psychedelics for treatment-resistant depression and other mental illnesses. Thanks to funding from corporations, foundations, and individuals, Sheppard Pratt is expanding its research and treatment capacity using these novel therapies.
• Recognizing teaching excellence – Sheppard Pratt operates 12 special education schools, making it the largest provider of nonpublic special education in Maryland. To recognize teaching excellence, the Cordish Family Foundation created a fund to honor outstanding Sheppard Pratt teachers and to provide additional professional development opportunities for our schools. Two teachers were recognized for their efforts during a challenging 2020-2021 school year.

Thanks to the generous support of these individuals and organizations and so many others, Sheppard Pratt can proudly say that “hope is here.” Thank you for your commitment to ensuring quality mental health care for everyone.

Sincerely,

Donna L. Richardson, Vice President and Chief Development Officer

It’s no secret that the number of people in need of mental health care—locally, regionally, and nationally—is rapidly increasing. Sheppard Pratt, long recognized as a national leader in the delivery of comprehensive, outcomes-based behavioral health care, is committed to being a trusted resource for every person who walks through our doors. We are continuously evolving and growing our programs and services in alignment with what we know our patients need today—as well what we anticipate they will need tomorrow.

Our donors and partners play an instrumental role in our ability to provide care. With your partnership and support, we can continue providing hope and care that is life-changing and often lifesaving.

That is how hope is born. And that is why hope is here—to stay.

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