Sheppard Pratt has received funding of nearly $1.1 million from the Federal Communications Commission’s Connected Care Pilot Program to provide broadband internet access to an estimated 600 low-income residents to impact access to mental health care. The Connected Care Pilot Program was established to provide up to $100 million in Universal Service Funds to help eligible health care providers defray the costs of providing connected care services to their patients and study how the Universal Service Fund (USF) can help support the continuing trend toward connected care services.
“Given Sheppard Pratt’s expertise in optimizing virtual channels for delivering care, coupled with our existing programs for underserved populations, we are uniquely positioned to make effective use of the Connected Care Pilot Program’s funding,” said Harsh K. Trivedi, MD, MBA, president and CEO of Sheppard Pratt. “The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected access to care for our community’s low-income residents. Improving internet connectivity for these patients improves their outcomes by enabling them to receive much-needed mental health care remotely.”
With these funds, Sheppard Pratt will provide a continuum of behavioral health care services to patients, such as virtual treatment, video visits or consults, medication management, case management, and other supportive services to a low-income patient population that has been particularly isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients will be provided medication management through a nurse practitioner and/or psychiatrist and therapeutic interventions with a licensed mental health professional weekly to improve health outcomes. The patients served primarily reside in group homes throughout Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Frederick County, Maryland.
Sheppard Pratt received one of the largest pilot funding in this round. Projects selected represent different geographic areas across the country and provider types, and involve patients in underserved communities to address a range of health conditions.
About Sheppard Pratt
Sheppard Pratt is the largest private, nonprofit provider of mental health, substance use, developmental disability, special education, and social services in the country. A nationwide resource, Sheppard Pratt provides services across a comprehensive continuum of care, spanning both hospital- and community-based resources. Since its founding in 1853, Sheppard Pratt has been innovating the field through research, best practice implementation, and a focus on improving the quality of mental health care on a global level. Sheppard Pratt has been consistently recognized as a top national psychiatric hospital by U.S. News & World Report for more than 30 years.