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After the tragic death of Osaze Osagie last year during a law enforcement response to a mental health 302 warrant, the Task Force on Mental Health Crisis was formed. Tiffany Cabibbo, DSc, MSN, RN, CENP, executive vice president, patient care services and chief nursing officer, Mount Nittany Health and Brian Newcomb, MD, department chair, Mount Nittany Medical Center Emergency Department were appointed to the Task Force to help lead the efforts to evaluate Centre County's mental health system and the continuum of crisis intervention services.
"The Emergency Department is dedicated to providing comprehensive, compassionate care to individuals who are experiencing an acute mental health crisis. Serving on the Task Force builds upon this foundation and strengthens our partnerships with law enforcement and community organizations as we collectively work to address barriers to care and gaps in crisis intervention services," states Dr. Newcomb.
The thirty-two member Task Force engaged in systems process mapping, stakeholder interviews and workgroup research on four strategic areas including, crisis intervention services (mobile), delegate services, law enforcement and the emergency department. Through this research, the Task Force identified six interrelated themes – care, cultural responsiveness, communication, collaboration, coordination and consistency – that became the bedrock of several key recommendations to improve the continuum of care for individuals experiencing an acute crisis.
"While the Task Force was born out of tragedy, it offered stakeholders a critical opportunity to take a hard look at Centre County's mental health continuum of care. Together we identified strengths in our program as well as opportunities for advancements and improvements to our system. I'm incredibly proud of this work and the recommendations of the Task Force," states Cabibbo.
The Task Force officially presented their findings and key recommendations to the Centre County Commissioners this month.
Mount Nittany Health's most recent Community Health Needs Assessment identified behavioral health as one of the top three most pressing health issues facing our community. Behavioral health encompasses all contributors to a person's mental well-being, including mental health or biological components and behaviors or habits like substance abuse.
