This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Andrew Alkis about research underway related to mental health care in rural South Carolina. Dr. Alkis is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a psychiatrist at MUSC Center for Telehealth.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. MUSC has been awarded a $1.75 million research grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to explore using telehealth to improve behavioral health care in rural South Carolina. Doctor Andrew Alkis is here to provide the details. Doctor Alkis is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and he's a psychiatrist at MUSC Center for Telehealth. Doctor Alkis, tell us what's going on in South Carolina in terms of mental health care needs and also access to care.
Dr. Alkis: Certainly across the country, there's a lack of mental health resources for individuals and South Carolina is no exception to that. One notable statistic that I think really speaks to the need for what we're doing is that 17 of the 46 counties in South Carolina have no psychiatric provider or psychiatrist, and some that do have at most one. We're also a very rural state. You know, 32% of South Carolinians are rural, and individuals in rural communities have been shown repeatedly to have a more difficult time accessing resources for mental health care, despite similar rates of mental health conditions and even a double rate of suicide risk.
Conner: Tell us about the research project underway at MUSC using the HRSA funding.
Dr. Alkis: What we're hoping to show with the first component of the research study and research funding is looking at the barriers and facilitators to implementing a program like this. Collaborative care is something that has a huge evidence base. What collaborative care entails is a psychiatric provider and a care manager, or behavioral health care manager, working with patients and working with primary care providers to extend those services.
Conner: And I understand that primary care physicians and providers are an important part of this research project, helping to facilitate access to mental health care in these rural communities.
Dr. Alkis: That's correct. What we've been doing is trying to collaborate with primary care providers to meet the mental health needs of the communities. The hope is certainly that individuals will have access to good primary care providers. And we have an extensive MUSC Regional Health Network, which allows us an opportunity through the primary care provider to work with more and more patients attending mental health services.
Conner: And you're using telehealth as part of the mental health services for people in need.
Dr. Alkis: That's right. One of the challenges with rural communities is finding available providers, mental health providers to meet the needs. So utilizing telehealth as a means to connect with patients and really engage them.
Conner: And this research project’s been going on for about two years. What's the initial data show?
Dr. Alkis: It's actually shown really promising results, reductions in anxiety scores and depression scores, as well as pretty solid retention throughout, you know, the enrollee process and satisfaction with patients and primary care providers alike.
Conner: And part of the satisfaction is being able to get the care they need for mental health using telehealth. In other words, it's convenient?
Dr. Alkis: That's correct. We were somewhat skeptical, just not knowing, you know, in certain rural communities, depending if they had solid cellular signals and whatnot, if there would be any issues. And that has not been a problem at all, which has been fantastic.
Conner: Doctor Alkis, thanks for information about this research project.
Dr. Alkis: Absolutely. Bobbi. It was a pleasure to talk to you.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
