1st  INPATIENT BEHAVIORAL  HEALTH  FACILITY OPENS  IN  BROWNSVILLE

Brownsville, September 6, 2007  –- In a first for Brownsville, Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville has opened an Inpatient Behavioral Health facility at the new East Campus of the hospital at 1 Ted Hunt Boulevard.

The new 37-bed Inpatient Behavioral Health Services Facility will help meet a great need for mental health services in Brownsville and throughout Cameron County.
 

“We, the community, have never had an inpatient behavioral health facility here,” said Dr. David Moron, Psychiatrist and Medical Director for the new facility.  “With the size of Brownsville, there will always be a number of families affected by mental illness.”  
The new facility will make it convenient for family members and friends of hospitalized patients to stay in contact with the patient – without having to travel to McAllen or Harlingen. 
“Many people don’t have transportation, and getting to McAllen or Harlingen can be difficult,” Dr. Moron added.  “With mental illness, you need to get the family involved because they are the support system for the patient.”
Dr. Moron said an accessible location which encourages family involvement can also help smooth the transition when it’s time for the patient to return home from the hospital.

Leslie Bingham, CEO for Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville, said the opening of the Inpatient Behavioral Health Services Facility is another example of Valley Baptist-Brownsville’s efforts to serve the needs of the Brownsville community.  “We believe that it is important to develop the mental health services infrastructure with facilities such as this, in order to attract capable and qualified mental health professionals, and to begin to meet the need for services in Cameron County,” Ms. Bingham added.

In addition to Dr. Moron, Valley Baptist-Brownsville has recruited a second psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Cobiella, to re-locate to the Brownsville area to help treat patients at the new facility.  Also providing support will be Dr. Daniel Villarreal, Psychiatrist for the Heritage Program for Senior Adults outpatient mental health program at VBMC-Brownsville, and Andrea Lerma, APRN, BC, a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

 “This facility will be the gold standard in inpatient behavioral healthcare,” said Becky Tresnicky, LCSW, Director of the East Campus Facility. “This is an underserved area, and Valley Baptist is pleased to be able to offer this service to the community.”

The new facility will treat adults ages 18 and up -- including older adults 60 years and up -- who meet specific criteria for treatment at an inpatient facility.  Dr. Moron said two of the biggest mental health problems to be addressed are depression and chronic mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.   
 
In addition to individualized medication treatment plans, the new facility will offer group therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, stress management, and patient and family education.

Dr. Moron also foresees the new facility as helping to meet the Valley’s medical education needs, by providing a potential setting for clinical rotations by medical students, psychologists, pharmacists, and nurses.  “I think there is a bright future for this facility in the community,” Dr. Moron added.

For more information on mental health treatment and services, contact your physician and visit www.ValleyBaptist.net.