JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The JBER Hospital Mental Health Flight and Behavioral Health Unit recently added an outpatient program interaction class called the Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) on Feb. 1, 2017, as another resource for patients who are considered at high risk of harming themselves or others or are experiencing significant mental health issues.
The program offers a structured setting with groups facilitated by mental health professionals throughout weekdays. This allows patients to engage in treatment while managing home or work stressors. The groups can help patients manage symptoms of anxiety or depression to mitigate the potential for self-injurious behavior or suicidal thoughts. PHP Services are provided in Behavioral Health Unit Monday through Friday. Patients attend group sessions while maintaining individual therapy sessions with their existing mental health provider. This program is available to adult TRICARE beneficiaries, active duty service members, and veterans.
“The PHP is the middle ground of intervention and inpatient care,” said Air Force Capt. Maria Pitts, JBER Hospital Mental Health Flight clinical social worker. “If there is a safety risk identified, instead of waiting or reaching the point the individual needs to be hospitalized, we can get [the person] into the PHP program.”
While the program is monitored, the difference between inpatient care and PHP is that the program does not require an overnight stay.
When participating in the PHP groups, the patients are encouraged to express their thoughts with fellow patients.
“The work they do together as a group can be just as powerful as what we teach them [in individual sessions],” Pitts said. “That is why we encourage them to talk. When they hear it from other patients, [the impact] is different than if it was coming from a provider.”
The groups focus on interaction and receiving feedback from peers who also can relate to their issues. The safe, calm and supportive environment of the Behavioral Health Unit promotes cohesion among participants as they learn coping skills to integrate into their home and work lives.
“The best way to chip away [at the] stigma [of mental health] is to talk about it in a group setting,” Pitts added. “And the best part of the group is to hear from other people who have been there before. It helps them develop some hope and build resiliency.”
The program has been successful so far, Pitts said.
“We have patients who are no longer reporting suicidal thoughts once they [have] completed the program,” Pitts said. “We’ve seen a decline in acuity of our patients. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from patients [saying] their self-risk has decreased significantly.”
For more information on the Partial Hospitalization Program please contact the JBER Hospital Mental Health Clinic at 907-580-2181.