Frisbie expands behavioral health treatment to Gilford

GILFORD — A second location for a Frisbie Memorial Hospital behavioral health program meant to help those experiencing mental health challenges navigate treatment recently opened its doors in the Lakes Region, and staff there are already helping patients. 

This second location for the partial hospitalization program — the other is in Rochester — opened May 5 at 14 Maple St., Suite 100.

It’s unique: patients don’t need a referral, and services offered take every major insurance program including Medicare and Medicaid. The program’s aim is to help adults age 18 and older to develop and use new strategies for managing stress, anxiety, depression and other behavioral health challenges. 

Ramsay Dean is the program's director, and said Friday PHP is a game-changer, offering high-level care for patients in need while facilitating their ability to remain independent and to avoid psychiatric hospitalization.

Many patients face challenges which impact daily life and are generally related to depression, anxiety, bipolar and other mood-related disorders, Dean said. Some people experiencing mental health challenges struggle with day-to-day tasks like taking care of themselves or others, or anxiety impacting their ability to work. Most patients admitted to the program are at a point where their symptoms are impacting their functioning and the basics of their life.  

“You can think of it as a therapeutic aid program,” Dean said.  

PHP offers something of a novel approach — structured group therapy-oriented treatment from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday to Friday, allowing patients to live at home and return to friends and family at the end of the day. Some are able to continue working while receiving mental health treatment. In addition to ongoing intervention and support, the PHP provides diagnostic consultation and recommendations, personal check-ins with a medication provider to help evaluate and manage medications, as well as individual, family and group therapy.

Those admitted to the PHP are cared for by social workers, registered nurses and medication providers within a broader framework of an individualized treatment plan.

Participating patients are those who need more support — maybe they’re at risk of being psychiatrically hospitalized, but are stable enough to do their treatment during the day and then go home to their families, run errands or potentially work without putting their entire lives on pause.

“They’re there for two to three weeks for intensive treatment,” Dean said. “We are a rapid stabilization program.”

The majority of their day is spent in group-therapy — five sessions each day — and patients meet with a psychiatrist once per week. There’s no waitlist, so if somebody called one day, they could potentially start the program the next. Patients also work with a licensed therapist each week for an individual session, and they’re offered case management or discharge planning to help ensure success following their exit from the program. 

“It’s not a substance use program,” Dean said. “Patients can have co-occurring diagnoses, but the substance use can’t be the primary issue — it is behavioral health.”

The program in Rochester, at the main Frisbie campus, has recognized significant improvements in patient outcomes, including reductions in depressive symptoms among other markers. A large majority of patients remain out of inpatient treatment, which program administrators consider another marker of success.  

“We definitely see a high level of success in treatment outcomes,” Dean said. 

Frisbie identified the need for this sort of care in the Lakes Region, partly because of their connection to Alton Bay. Patients from Alton Bay who receive care in Rochester have expressed their desire for services offered in the broader Lakes Region. Social work teams from organizations like Lakes Region Mental Health Center, and facilities in Franklin and Concord, have echoed the sentiment.

“We’ve had a lot of engagement from Concord Hospital, their primary care offices,” Dean said. 

In Dean’s career, he’s seen the need for this sort of program grow significantly. Just because a patient is experiencing acute symptoms doesn’t mean they necessarily need to be treated in a locked unit, and this option provides them the opportunity to retain their autonomy and connections to their family and normal life. 

“I definitely think the need is growing — the more people find out about it, the more interest we get,” Dean said.  

“Frisbie Memorial Hospital recognizes the need for expanded behavioral health services in the greater Gilford community, and we’re proud to offer an outpatient program that provides a team approach to care, helping adult patients achieve behavioral wellness goals in a private and comfortable environment,” Tom Bowden, chief executive officer of Frisbie Memorial Hospital, said according to a news release. 

Stigma plays a role in the scenario, too. Some individuals experiencing mental health challenges may not reach out for help because of anxiety or shame about doing so. Patients often tell providers they’ve been struggling for a long time before seeking professional help, Dean said.

For individuals who may require a higher level of care, PHP staff are trained to help connect them with those resources. Because they’re part of HCA New England Healthcare and connected to several hospitals in the state, Frisbie PHP staff have access to higher levels of care, including inpatient programs. Patients are screened, both through the intake process and daily mental status exams. 

“Their mental status is assessed every single day in the program,” Dean said. 

Anyone interested in learning more, worried about their mental health or in need of professional assistance, should contact the PHP in Gilford directly by calling 603-832-7190 to discuss options available to them. Individuals can also schedule an appointment at frisbiehospital-behavioralhealth.myhealthdirect.com.

“When in doubt, always reach out,” Dean said. 

“Patients do not need a referral from a provider,” director of communications Ellen Miller said Friday, emphasizing a unique facet of this particular program. “They can self-refer for this program.”