As some behavioral health providers have been forced to scale back or even cease services during the COVID-19 pandemic, Aspire Indiana Health was able to quickly switch to virtual telehealth appointments to continue serving its clients, most of them through video meetings.
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Aspire is now conducting more than 500 video service engagements per day, and is continuing to take on new patients with mental health needs during the crisis. This includes individual and group therapy.
In addition to quickly shifting to telehealth appointments, Aspire also set up a virtual Open Access system for new patients. They can call (877) 574-1254 and receive a behavioral health assessment, usually on the same day. This is the first step in creating a care plan customized to their individual needs.
Assessment and behavioral health appointments can be conducted via video meeting, or by telephone if the patient doesn’t have a video-capable device. Aspire has also been able to provide free phones to 25 at-risk patients who lacked them.
Aspire is the state-certified Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) provider in Boone, Hamilton, Madison and Marion counties. It also offers primary medical care and support services, accepts Medicare, Medicaid and most commercial insurance.
Five years ago, Aspire began converting to a more versatile cloud-based digital platform that left it well-positioned for this type of crisis. Aspire was able to scale up to 400 video engagements per day within two days, and hit 500 within a week. For more information, visit aspireindiana.org.