This article about the 2024 PBN Innovative Companies Awards originally appeared in The Providence Business News
Many organizations were forced to adapt and change the way they did business to meet the increased need for mental health services rising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Such demand continues to skyrocket. However, workforce shortages have challenged agencies, such as Newport Mental Health, to respond in more efficient and effective ways.
Knowing that staff burnout in the mental health field is “very real,” Dayna Gladstein, CEO and president of the Middletown-based health nonprofit, and her leadership team are focused on finding innovative solutions to supporting staff so they can better focus their time and energy on serving their clients.
Newport Mental Health implemented new technologies so that staff can spend more time on the meaningful tasks at hand. Artificial intelligence software such as Scribe records sessions, transcribes them and delivers a full report. Paperwork is reduced so therapists can care for patients.
Also, Newport Mental Health became Rhode Island’s first Federally Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic when the state was chosen in June as one of 10 states that provide behavioral health care to people of all ages regardless of their ability to pay. Organization officials say the program has led to the creation of two innovative programs that are transforming behavioral health care crisis response, and to the adoption of collaborations and technologies that lead the way in providing the highest-quality behavioral health care, both locally and nationally.
“All of these processes increase the quality of care we can provide,” Gladstein said. “And that quality is why people choose us.”
A community health center often serves people most in need who have fewer options for care, but Newport Mental Health has seen a 22% increase in the number of clients with private insurance. These patients have a choice where they can seek assistance and it’s clear they appreciate the attention they receive at Newport Mental Health.
Gladstein sees her staff as her greatest asset and commits to providing them with a wide range of opportunities, from competitive wages to pathways for growth.
“It’s a give and take,” Gladstein said. “If we want people to be successful – which in turn makes us successful – we need to focus on developing their strengths. In the end, we all get more out of it.”
