National telehealth program announced for those with an elevated suicide risk

A new national telehealth program called Crisis Care has been created to treat individuals with elevated suicide risk, a release from Brightside Health stated.

According to the release, the program was developed to fill a widening gap in telehealth services that concentrate on those with low-to-moderate health conditions, which provides timely access to specialized care for individuals with acute suicide risk.

“Simply put, we built Crisis Care to save lives,” Brad Kittredge, CEO and co-founder of Brightside Health, stated in the release. “We have a responsibility to do more for this vulnerable population, and it's critical to our mission of delivering life-changing mental health care to everyone who needs it. We look forward to helping as many people as possible.”

Based on the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) framework, Crisis Care is available to patients who are actively suicidal and/or have had a recent suicide attempt, as well as those in need of follow-up care after hospitalization, the company said in the release.

The high-touch, tech-enabled program, intended to last between 4 and 12 weeks, is staffed by a select group of CAMS-trained clinicians and includes one-on-one weekly video sessions, online check-ins, anytime messaging and 24/7 call support. Crisis Care aims to ensure safety and efficacy by utilizing research-backed clinical protocols, rigorous oversight, and care coordination if the patient requires a higher level of treatment or is ready to step down to routine services, per the release.

“Patients with active suicide risk are often seen in settings where they cannot access the right kind of care,” Mimi Winsberg, MD, chief medical officer and co-founder of Brightside Health, said in the release. “With Crisis Care, patients are quickly connected with CAMS-trained clinicians to get the most appropriate care.”