| Learning Objective #1: Describe problems and solutions for the development of a tele-mental program to victims of family violence | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe protocols and outcome measures for the tele-mental health program |
The Surgeon General’s 1999 Report on mental health identified domestic violence and past trauma as significant stressors affecting mental health. Victim’s fears and incapacitation complicated by rural isolation seriously impair access to psychiatric intervention. One of the central reasons for rural tele-health programs is the limited availability and access to health services in isolated areas. This does not mean that tele-health programs operate within a vacuum or must exist as stand alone interventions. This presentation describes a collaborative tele-mental health program that provides psychiatric screening, evaluation and treatment to clients of a rural women’s shelter. The crisis center operates two shelters and six outreach clinics, serving over 1200 clients a year. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the implementation and evaluation of this multi-discipline tele-health program, which links a women’s shelter, a local mental health center, and a school of nursing with tertiary psychiatric services at the University of Texas Medical Branch- Galveston through two-way teleconferencing. Protocols for of patient satisfactory surveys for each tele-mental health encounter and results of the SCL-90R. The SCL-90R is administered to all residents of the women’s shelter over a nine month period (N=90) and to each participant in the tele-mental health program (N=20). The SCL-90R is also administered at time of discharge, at three month and six month follow-up intervals. This project was funded by the US Department of Commerce, Technology Opportunity Program.
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