TAMPA, Fla. (PRWEB)
February 13, 2023

ContinuumCloud recently released their 2023 Behavioral Health Industry Trends Report, which highlights the top priorities, key challenges, and areas of opportunity for behavioral health and human services organizations this year.

The report draws insights from more than 250 behavioral health and human services leaders across the nation to identify the current state of the industry and where organizations are focusing their efforts. Top priorities include recruiting and retention, patient engagement, and employee development, indicating that people-focused initiatives are top of mind this year. Some additional results from the report include:

• 81% of behavioral health organizations still rely on manual processes to integrate data between their operational systems.
• Just 14% of behavioral health organizations are able to fill key positions quickly.
• Only 30% of behavioral health organizations have a post-treatment program in place beyond a phone call or email.

“This report highlights some of the same challenges we’ve been seeing for years,” said Andy McCraw, Chief Strategy Officer at ContinuumCloud. “In doing so, it also illuminates some unique opportunities for behavioral health organizations to streamline workflows and automate manual processes. At ContinuumCloud, it helps keep us focused on what is important to these organizations, and how we can best serve them through targeted solutions and strategic partnerships.”

The 2023 Behavioral Health Industry Trends Report is available free of charge, courtesy of ContinuumCloud. You can download your complimentary copy here: https://resources.continuumcloud.com/home-page/2023-behavioral-health-industry-trends-report

About ContinuumCloud ContinuumCloud offers a spectrum of cloud-based software solutions intentionally designed to meet the unique needs of the behavioral health and human services industry. These solutions include an EHR platform, powered by Welligent; an HCM system, powered by DATIS e3; and a patient engagement platform, powered by CaredFor. Through these offerings, ContinuumCloud empowers organizations to provide high-quality care and deliver on their mission. Learn more at continuumcloud.com.

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LEBANON, Ore. (PRWEB)
February 10, 2023

Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) is collaborating with NexGen Hyperbaric, LLC to support research on hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of physical and mental conditions. The in-development Center for Behavioral Health on WesternU’s Oregon campus will be the site of the hyperbaric research chamber being donated by NexGen.

Hyperbaric therapy has been used for decades in the treatment of physical wounds and musculoskeletal injuries from degeneration and sports related activities. Through this new opportunity, NexGen Hyperbaric and WesternU will focus on cellular research and clinical trials in the use of hyperbaric therapy for treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States with more than 60,000 deaths annually, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 6 percent of the American population will have suffered from PTSD at some point in their lives and about 12 million American adults suffer from PTSD during any given year. Current research in hyperbaric oxygen therapy has shown promise in the treatment of TBI and PTSD. Furthering evidence-based research in hyperbaric treatment will position WesternU’s Center for Behavioral Health and NexGen Hyperbaric on the forefront of this promising field.

“WesternU is honored to be chosen as the research site for this incredible advancing technology,” said WesternU President Robin Farias-Eisner, MD, PhD, MBA. “Our focus on mental health is a priority and it is a privilege to be working toward the latest advancements and treatment for debilitating conditions such as TBI and PTSD.”

WesternU’s ability to strategically collaborate with key public and private institutions that focus on behavioral health care is evident with NexGen now facilitating onsite research efforts in hyperbaric treatment of TBI and PTSD.

NexGen Hyperbaric President and CEO Jonathan Rotella consults with professional athletes who are injured or are trying to stay in top physical condition. He currently works with several NFL teams in treating players for soft tissue and bone injuries, concussion, and general recovery.

“I could not be more excited about our collaboration with WesternU,” Rotella said. “We will be working together to support research in vivo and ex vivo for individuals suffering from serious brain injury and PTSD. We believe hyperbaric therapy makes a significant impact on the prognosis for these conditions.”

WesternU’s vision for the Behavioral Health Center is to be a leader in interprofessional behavioral health education and research. According to the 2023 report by Mental Health America, Oregon ranked second to last in the nation for mental health care, indicating the highest prevalence of mental illness and lowest rates of access to care. The center will explore new ways to deliver mental health care by improving access and creating interprofessional educational programs that teach future health care and behavioral health care workers a holistic approach to addressing mental illness. A signature point for the program will be its focus on community, with a goal to serve all people regardless of severity of illness, economic status, race, sexual orientation, or age.

The WesternU Oregon campus in Lebanon, Oregon was founded in 2011 with the opening of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest. COMP-Northwest proudly boasts more than 700 physician graduates who are now in residency or medical practice across the nation. The College of Health Sciences-Northwest was founded in 2021 with its inaugural class of Doctor of Physical Therapy students and will launch its Doctor of Occupational Therapy program in summer 2023. WesternU Oregon was recently gifted 150 acres on the Santiam River in Lebanon to build out a new graduate health sciences university campus. New programs slated for development include the Center for Behavioral Health and other health professions needed to meet the growing needs of Oregon’s health care work force.

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CHANDLER, Ariz. (PRWEB)
February 08, 2023

Embark Behavioral Health, a leading network of mental health treatment programs for youths and their families, announced today the company’s outlook for 2023 and a recap of last year’s milestones. Embark has increased its support for families during a time when the number of young people experiencing at least one major or severe depressive episode or substance use disorder in the past year increased by 14.8% year over year, according to reporting by Mental Health America.

In 2022, with the goal of making exceptional treatment more accessible, Embark served nearly 1,500 families, with the vast majority accessing their insurance to use the company’s services, and opened three new outpatient clinic locations in Rockville, Maryland; Ashburn, Virginia; and Atlanta, Georgia. Embark also opened four new short-term residential locations in San Martin, California; Bend, Oregon; Marion, Montana; and Independence, Missouri.

The company will continue offering expanded services to teens and young adults. Embark has 27 programs in 15 states across the U.S. and plans to open additional short-term residential treatment programs and outpatient clinics as well as virtual intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) across the country in 2023.

“2022 was a year of transformation and impact for Embark. We opened new programs, expanded our services, and partnered with great like-minded payors to set new standards and create more access,” said Alex Stavros, CEO of Embark Behavioral Health. “Beginning to see the other side of life after the pandemic, we know there is a need for our services now more than ever. Our team, which has only increased in caliber and heart, is poised to increase the number of families we serve by more than 1,000 in the coming year.”

The Teen Mental Health Crisis

The mental health crisis continues to be a major cause for concern in the U.S. for both teens and young adults. To best help these young people, care should be provided in the least restrictive setting possible and, if it’s safe, at home and in the community, according to new guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Embark has long taken this approach through its robust continuum of care, which offers different levels of service and programming based on an individual’s changing needs.

The continuum Embark offers is used to step up or step down services and treatment intensity depending on the client’s needs. Stepping up means moving to a more restrictive and intensive service level, such as going from a therapeutic day treatment program, also known as a partial hospitalization program (PHP), to a residential treatment center (RTC). Stepping down means moving toward a less restrictive environment, such as going from a day treatment program to an IOP.

To add to the Embark continuum and provide families with accessible, flexible, and convenient therapy, the company launched a virtual mental health support program in 2022. Embark’s virtual intensive outpatient program connects clients to industry-leading therapists to overcome behavioral health challenges through a secure patient portal with measurable results.

“The launch of Embark Virtual IOP is a huge step toward our goal of reversing the trends of teen and young adult anxiety, depression, and suicide from all-time highs to all-time lows,” said Tiffany King, vice president of virtual at Embark Behavioral Health. “Families entering the program are supported by a multidisciplinary clinical team focused on meeting treatment objectives and outcomes. Virtual IOP is designed to be accessible, convenient, and supportive of everyday life.”

Embark’s Clinical Outcomes

In 2022, Embark continued to invest in collecting data to measure progress and track how the client and family improve throughout their treatment journey. Clinical outcomes across Embark’s treatment programs showcase effectiveness. For example, the average client reported a 41% decrease in anxiety symptoms and a 45% decrease in depression from admit to discharge, showing material and statistically significant reductions in distress and suicidality. In addition, data collected through family surveys showed a 60% material reduction after treatment in psychiatric hospitalizations as well as consistent adherence to psychiatric medication as prescribed.

In a recent family testimonial from an Embark outpatient clinic program, a parent shared, “I can’t say enough great things about this program. The facility is beautiful, clean, and inviting. The clinicians and staff are kind, caring, and truly invested in the healing of the kids they work with. I was routinely reached out to by the clinicians to check on how my daughter was doing, which warmed my heart because I truly felt she was cared for and safe; I felt good about her being there. The team at Embark has great energy and clearly loves what they do, and because of that, I believe it really made all the difference for my daughter. She was motivated to work hard and enjoyed going in every day. I’m impressed by the progress she has made and so grateful to everyone at Embark for helping my daughter. This program works. Keep up the great work you’re doing.”

Strategic Embark Partnerships in 2022

The company partnered with WETA/PBS to host six screening events of “Ken Burns Presents Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness – A Film by Erik Ewers & Christopher Loren Ewers.” These events were at Embark’s outpatient clinics nationwide and its Chandler, Arizona, office. They created a space to share powerful personal stories about youth mental health and local resources that can help teens and young adults who are struggling.

On Dec. 14, Embark developed and hosted a first-of-its-kind adolescent treatment strategies preconference session for hundreds of mental health professionals at the Evolution of Psychotherapy conference in Orlando, Florida. As part of its partnership, Embark Chief Clinical Officer Rob Gent co-presented with Scott D. Miller, Ph.D., founder of the International Center for Clinical Excellence.

Additional 2022 Milestones: Raising Awareness, Lowering the Stigma

Other key milestones in 2022 include hosting multiple mental health professional webinars, moving the company’s support office to a new office space, launching a foundation, and debuting two podcast series.

• 
  Throughout 2022, Embark hosted 13 specialized mental health-focused webinars open to mental health professionals across the nation. More than 1,600 attended, and popular topics included eating disorders, self-harm, and trauma and addiction.
• Earlier in 2022, Embark moved its Arizona support office to Chandler, Arizona. On Dec. 13, it hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Chandler Chamber of Commerce members, employees, and the community in attendance.
• Recognizing the urgency and severity of the mental health crisis teens and young adults are facing, Embark launched the Embark Behavioral Health Foundation. The foundation is partnering with community-based organizations and donors to help young people by raising awareness of the crisis, lowering the stigma surrounding mental illness, and improving access to high-quality care.
• Embark debuted two podcasts to address teen and young adult mental health issues. “Roadmap to Joy” features interviews with licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, and more on a range of relevant topics. “Embark Sessions” dives deep into mental health topics, including cutting-edge therapies and psychology, and shares stories from industry experts. The podcasts are available on the Embark website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

Embark is hiring in Phoenix and across the nation, specifically for clinician and life coach positions. To learn more, visit http://www.embarkbh.com/careers. For more information about Embark Behavioral Health, visit http://www.embarkbh.com.

ABOUT EMBARK BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Embark Behavioral Health is a leading network of outpatient centers and residential programs offering premier mental health treatment for preteens, teens, and young adults. Dedicated to its mission and big goal of reversing the trends of teen and young adult anxiety, depression, and suicide by 2028, Embark offers a robust continuum of care with different levels of service and programming; has a deep legacy of over 25 years serving youth; works with families to adjust treatment in real time to improve results; treats the entire family using an evidence-based approach; and offers the highest levels of quality care and safety standards. For more information about Embark or its treatment programs, including virtual counseling, intensive outpatient programs (IOPs), therapeutic day treatment programs, also known as partial hospitalization programs (PHPs), short-term residential treatment, wilderness therapy, and long-term residential treatment, visit http://www.embarkbh.com.

ROCKVILLE, Md. (PRWEB)
February 07, 2023

GaitBetter, a digital neurotherapeutics company, announced today the successful closing of its bridge financing round. The round was led by eHealth Ventures and included participation from Dreamit Ventures, KT Squared, MindUP, and AARP. The proceeds will be used to expedite commercial expansion in the U.S. healthcare market and further develop its state-of-the-art motor-cognitive virtual reality (VR) intervention for gait rehabilitation and fall prevention.

Backed by eight clinical trials and more than 20-peer reviewed publications, GaitBetter uses gamification and semi-immersive VR to simulate motor-cognitive challenges that patients experience in everyday life. Clinically proven to accelerate more positive outcomes and reduce falls by over 70%, GaitBetter’s innovative solution enables clinicians to tailor therapy intensity and specificity to the unique needs of their patients.

“We are thrilled to have the support of such esteemed investors as eHealth Ventures, Dreamit Ventures, KT Squared, MindUP, and AARP in this round of financing,” said Hilik Harari, CEO of GaitBetter. “This funding together with The American Medical Association’s decision to issue a new CPT® code covering GaitBetter’s intervention, strongly positions GaitBetter to accelerate adoption of our advanced motor-cognitive system to now benefit more patients in the U.S.”

GaitBetter’s affordability and ease of use allows it to be installed in a wide variety of settings, including inpatient rehabilitation centers, outpatient physical therapy clinics, senior centers, gyms/fitness centers, and senior living communities.

To learn more or experience it yourself, visit GaitBetter at Booth #2943 at the 2023 American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) on February 23-25th in San Diego.

About GaitBetter

GaitBetter is a leading digital neurotherapeutics company providing virtual reality (VR) motor-cognitive therapy for gait rehabilitation, fall prevention, and early detection of neurodegenerative diseases. Backed by more than 20 peer-reviewed publications, GaitBetter’s VR motor-cognitive platform accelerates patient outcomes and reduces fall risk by 70%. Harnessing AI, gamification and VR, GaitBetter provides personalized neurotherapeutic training via virtual simulation of motor-cognitive challenges in everyday life. This unique dual-tasking approach enhances brain functions that lead to improved cognition, better, steadier, and safe walking and improved self-confidence. To learn more, visit https://www.gaitbetter.com/.

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AUSTIN, Texas (PRWEB)
February 07, 2023

The week of February 6th is National School Counseling Week and this year’s theme is “Helping Students Dream Big”. But with an increased demand for student support post-COVID, many school counselors are looking for new resources to support kids and help them dream bigger. Adventures in Wisdom’s certified Child Life Coaches are answering the call by partnering with school counselors to teach students about how their mind works, the brain science of achievement, and tools for setting and achieving big-dream goals.

Nothing prepared Virginia elementary school counselor, Lisa O’Loughlin, and her peers, for the mental health and social development challenges that the post-COVID world has had on students. And with schools focused on addressing the academic regressions, there’s more pressure than ever on school counselors. Lisa says, “We usually get children for about 20 minutes during the school day, and I felt like I needed to see them longer to do more in-depth work.” Former New York and Georgia high school counselor, Maggie Hayes adds, “Kids are often taught the value in being successful without much emphasis on how to be successful. As school counselors, part of our role is to support a child’s academic success by helping them navigate some of the ‘hows’. With caseloads of 300-500 students it can be challenging to say the least.”

Both Maggie and Lisa sought a curriculum to support kids and found Adventures in Wisdom. Each chose to get certified as a WISDOM Coach through Adventures in Wisdom to add life coaching for kids to their work with students. While Maggie and Lisa got certified as child life coaches, other school counselors are teaming up with WISDOM Coaches to bring mindset skills training to their school and to support children beyond the classroom. “Life coaching for kids is part of the mental health solution that most people aren’t aware of, focusing on prevention by helping kids build strong mental fitness,” said Renaye Thornborrow, founder of Adventures in Wisdom. “And with this year’s theme focused on helping students to dream bigger, there couldn’t be a better time for school counselors to add child life coaching to their skill set or to team up with a WISDOM Coach to support their students.”

WISDOM Coaches help kids develop 27 mindset skills for self-esteem, confidence, self-leadership, resilience, and success. Children also learn the brain science behind how their mind works so that they understand why these skills work so well in helping them thrive in life and achieve their dreams. “For example, part of the brain science WISDOM Coaches help children learn about is how their brain’s reticular activating system (RAS) helps them achieve their goals,” shared Thornborrow. “When a student sets a goal, their RAS filters out the millions of pieces of irrelevant information that continuously hit their brain to focus on the most relevant information that will support them in achieving their goal.

At Adventures in Wisdom, we call our RAS our ‘radar for success’. The RAS will work to help us achieve a small dream or a big dream, so students might as well dream big.” As one of Lisa’s students said to her classmates, “Miss O’Loughlin can help you conquer anything!” You can see Lisa discuss that student’s success story here.

Renaye Thornborrow, CEO of Adventures in Wisdom, is leading a worldwide movement to bring life coaching to kids. Since 2013, Adventures in Wisdom has certified hundreds of coaches in over 30 countries in their WISDOM Coaching child life coach certification program, helping them create a business they love as a life coach for kids while empowering children around the world. Life coaching for kids is a game changer for children as they learn how to build confidence, resilience, and mindset skills for life; and it is a game changer for coaches as they increase their impact and income while doing their work in the world serving kids.

To learn more, visit http://www.adventuresinwisdom.com, call 512-222-6659, or send email to renaye @ adventuresinwisdom dot com.

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MYKOLAIV, Ukraine (PRWEB)
January 31, 2023

There are some interesting news came from Mykolaiv, the city in southern Ukraine. On 27th of January 2023, the team of specialists has completed to work on the English version of the project, which is already available to users. Its purpose is to prove that the process of self-improvement, the development of human cognitive functions can be an exciting activity, which will help, first of all, those who are “over 40” to maintain brain health and push back old age for years.

The name of their project “B-Trainika” – is symbolic. “B” is the first letter of the word Brain, and Nika is the name of the ancient Greek goddess of victory. So the creators decided to encrypt the idea that the path to success in life is to work on yourself, in particular, to develop your intellectual abilities, and it can be achieved by brain training by performing special exercises on the computer.

“B-Trainika” uses such a property of the human brain as neuroplasticity – the ability of neural networks to change their structure under the influence of incoming information. In other words, when you perform any mental operation repeatedly, your brain rewires itself to perform it faster and better. Appropriate neural pathways develop.

The idea of ​​using neuroplasticity to improve cognition is not so fresh. Numerous books and scientific articles have been written on this subject. There are Internet sites where users perform seemingly simple exercises and thus develop memory, attention and other brain functions. Cognitive training is now popular among both young people and older people, who choose it as an easy and safe way to counter the natural decline in cognitive abilities with age. The problem is that doing the exercises is a rather monotonous process. You need to do the same exercises every day for many months or even for years. This is the main reason why even well motivated and problem-aware people often drop out of class because they cannot keep up with the routine.

The creators of “B-Trainika” claim that they managed to break this pattern. At first glance, their site still has the same well-known for experts cognitive exercises like the “n-back task” or “Stroop test”, but when you start exercising, you find that this is just the “tip of the iceberg”. However, here you will need to make pirate raids on the possessions of other players, participate in tournaments, push competitors away, try to take a place at the palace, get Beryls in order to buy various magical items that give advantages in battles, and so on. If you are successful enough, then at the end you will become the Demiurge and reincarnate, and your nickname will be shown off in the first lines of the rating. Guys say that their system is a full-fledged multiplayer role-playing game that takes place in the invented world, where training with mini-games is part of the overall game plot. However, unlike conventional RPGs, on “B-Trainika” you do not upgrade the abstract skills of a certain computer character, but your own abilities (memory, attention, thinking, perception), which also gives you advantages in real life. Ukrainians claim that brain training with the help of their project is much more exciting than traditional exercises.

Now the guys are working on translating their site into other languages. Despite all the difficulties, they continue to create and believe that in this way, they help people become a little happier, and that everything will be great soon.

About: “B-Trainika” is the Ukrainian startup that has completed the development and testing of its project and is now planning to enter the English-speaking market.

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