CHRIS HICKS: KALISPELL IS ABOUT--POPULATION
OF ABOUT 20,000 PEOPLE.
WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT PLACES LIKE WHITEFISH
AND YOU GO DOWN TO BIG FORK
AND THEN YOU GO OUT WEST TO LIBBY, IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
WE HAVE LAKES, WE HAVE RIVERS,
WE HAVE ALL THE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
YOU COULD EVER WANT.
JOE BOYLE: KALISPELL IS FAIRLY SMALL AND RURAL,
AND I WOULD SAY THAT THE RANGE OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS HERE IS
AS GREAT AS IT GETS.
TODD RUTHERFORD: THE NHSC PROVIDES A VERY VALUABLE
SERVICE IN PRIMARY CARE, ALSO IN PSYCHIATRY,
IN HELPING TO BRING PEOPLE TO COMMUNITIES
THAT MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE MENTAL HEALTH CARE
NEEDS THAT THEY HAVE.
BETH: GOOD AFTERNOON THE NEWMAN CENTER. THIS IS BETH.
LESLIE NYMAN: THE NEWMAN CENTER IS SO GREAT BECAUSE
WE HAVE PSYCHIATRY, WE HAVE THERAPY,
WE HAVE PSYCHOLOGISTS,
AND WE HAVE A NURSE PRACTITIONER,
AND THAT'S PRETTY AMAZING IN A SMALL COMMUNITY.
GOOD TO SEE YOU!
RUTHERFORD, VOICE-OVER: I WORK SPECIFICALLY
IN CHILD PSYCHIATRY, SO I WORK A LOT WITH FAMILIES
AND HELPING THOSE FAMILIES GROW TOGETHER.
THERE'S DEFINITELY A NEED AND A VERY STRONG NEED
FOR PSYCHIATRISTS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
AND IN PARTICULAR CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRISTS,
WHICH ARE A SHORTAGE EVERYWHERE.
DO ANYTHING FUN SO FAR THIS SUMMER?
PATIENT: HMM, I GOT MY POOL UP.
RUTHERFORD, VOICE-OVER: I THINK YOU GET AN INVALUABLE EXPERIENCE
WORKING TO HELP PEOPLE OR TO HELP THEM SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS.
IN AN AREA THAT'S UNDERSERVED, YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO
MIGHT NOT HAVE ACCESS TO YOU AND ARE VERY HAPPY TO SEE YOU,
SO IT CAN BE VERY REWARDING.
I THINK MENTAL HEALTH AND PRIMARY CARE
INTEGRATION IS VITAL.
BETH: OK. I'LL LET HER KNOW THAT YOU'RE HERE.
PATIENT: ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
CHARLAT: THERE IS SUCH A CONNECTION BETWEEN HOW
WE THINK AND HOW WE FEEL PHYSICALLY.
BOYLE: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN PSYCHIATRY AND OTHER
VERY PROMINENT MEDICAL PROBLEMS LIKE OBESITY,
FOR EXAMPLE, IS A STRONG CONNECTION.
HICKS: COME ON BACK.
HICKS, VOICE-OVER: WE'RE WORKING PRIMARILY
IN NORTHWEST MONTANA
AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES.
I WOULD SAY WITHIN 2 TO 400 MILES RADIUS,
AND THAT'S HOW FAR WE'RE DOING OUTREACH STUFF.
PEOPLE ARE TRAVELING FROM 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 HOURS.
THAT'S ONE WAY.
YOU HAVE TO ANTICIPATE THAT ON THE WAY BACK.
PEOPLE DON'T HAVE ONE DAY.
THEY'RE WORKING 9 TO 5s.
HOW ARE THINGS GOING FOR YOU?
HICKS, VOICE-OVER: WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN TELEHEALTH,
WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY MENTAL HEALTH VIA SKYPE
WITH A SECURE CONNECTION.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THESE RURAL HEALTH CARE CLINICS,
THERE'S NOT A PSYCHIATRIST
WITHIN A 400- TO 500-MILE RADIUS,
SO WHAT TELEHEALTH DOES IS THAT GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY
TO HAVE PATIENTS BE ABLE TO SEE ALL OF THE EXPERTS
THAT THEY NEED.
ANY DEPRESSION?
ANY BIG STRESSORS GOING ON?
HICKS, VOICE-OVER: TELEHEALTH HELPS SERVE THOSE WHO
CANNOT RECEIVE CARE ELSEWHERE.
THERE'S A HUGE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL HEALTH,
AND SO PEOPLE TEND TO TURN TOWARDS ALTERNATIVE MEANS
OF COPING.
ONE OF THE BIGGER ONES IS ALCOHOL AROUND HERE.
BOYLE: THE MEDICAL USE OF OPIOIDS IS HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC.
YOU KNOW, I TALK TO PATIENTS ABOUT HOW THESE SUBSTANCES
AFFECT THE BRAIN AND THE BODY.
HICKS: IT'S NOT JUST THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE BEING
AFFECTED, IT'S THE FAMILY MEMBERS IT'S THE HOSPITAL
SYSTEM, IT'S EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY.
IT'S EXTREMELY CHALLENGING.
RUTHERFORD: SOMETIMES IT HELPS TO TAKE A STEP BACK
AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE DISCUSS A CASE WITH SOMEONE ELSE
IN THE GROUP, SOMEONE WHO MAY NOT HAVE
THAT EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH THAT PATIENT.
BOYLE: EVERY MEMBER OF THE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TREATMENT
TEAM HAS A SPECIFIC FORM OF INPUT AND WHAT THEY DRAW
FROM IN TERMS OF THEIR EDUCATION, THEIR TRAINING,
AND THEIR EXPERIENCE.
INTEGRATED CARE IS SOMETHING THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
WHEN YOU GET MORE EYES ON A SITUATION, YOU CAN START TO
COLLABORATE AND REALLY TRY AND FIGURE OUT
"WELL, HOW IS IT THAT WE CAN MANAGE DIABETES
AND SCHIZOPHRENIA AT THE SAME TIME?"
THE MORE THAT YOU CAN COLLABORATE WITH OTHER
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE WORKING TOGETHER IN A TEAM IS
DEFINITELY TO YOUR BENEFIT, TO THE BENEFIT OF THE PATIENT.
NYMAN: BY USING NHSC PROVIDERS
AND NURSE CORPS PROVIDERS, THEY'RE ABLE TO
COME HERE AND BE IN A SETTING
AND REALLY PRACTICE THE DIRECT CARE
THAT THEY WANT TO PRACTICE,
AND IT CREATES AN ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY CAN DO
THE CARE THAT THEY WANT TO DO.