Lighthouse Telehealth, a subsidiary of Harbor, announces a Physicians' Service Agreement to provide 24/7 Inpatient Psychiatric Coverage for Mercy Health, including inpatient care at the Behavioral Health Institute located at St. Charles.

TOLEDO, Ohio, Feb. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lighthouse Telehealth, a subsidiary of Harbor, has partnered with Mercy Health to provide Inpatient Physician and Advanced Practice Nurse support, ensuring 24/7 coverage for behavioral health/substance use disorder patients at Mercy Health facilities. The partnership begins February 22, 2018.

Lighthouse Telehealth professionals will provide psychiatric consultative services within the emergency departments at Mercy Health's three metro Toledo hospitals: Mercy Health ? St. Vincent Medical Center, Mercy Health ? St. Charles Hospital and Mercy Health ? St. Anne Hospital, as well as inpatient care within Mercy Health ? Behavioral Health Institute located on the campus of St. Charles. Lighthouse Telehealth doctors and advanced practice nurses will also provide psychiatric care at Mercy Health's two freestanding emergency departments located in Sylvania and Perrysburg.

Also as part of the agreement, Lighthouse Telehealth will provide telepsychiatry inpatient consults and on-call coverage as appropriate.

"There is an ongoing shortage of medical professionals to cover the increasing demand for services in our area," said John Sheehan, CEO of Harbor. "We believe that successful partnerships in healthcare are based on a shared vision and values that achieve the highest quality evidence-based care for patients in crisis ? regardless of their ability to pay for that care.  This collaboration will ensure timely access at select Mercy Health facilities utilizing, as appropriate, our telepsychiatry service model. When a patient needs help, both Mercy Health and Lighthouse Telehealth are committed to getting them the quality care they need, when they need it."

"Mercy Health is committed to serving the whole patients ? mind, body and spirit," said Bob Baxter, President and CEO of Mercy Health ? Toledo. "We look forward to expanding our partnership with Lighthouse Telehealth to ensure that all patients coming to us have access to the appropriate care that they need. This innovative technology based telehealth model will continue to allow effective and timely care for our patients as they seek help for themselves or a loved one."

According to the National Alliance on Mental health, about 1 in 5 adults in the U.S., or 18.5 %, experiences mental illness in a given year. And about 1 in 5 youth aged 13?18, or 21.4%, experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. With the goal of finding new and innovative ways to provide our community with appropriate mental health care, organizations are forging partnerships and creating new integrated access models. Working together, Lighthouse Telehealth and Mercy Health will impact positively thousands of lives in the Northwest Ohio area.

About Harbor
Harbor is the leading mental health provider in Northwest Ohio, treating thousands of patients each year. Harbor employs over 700 employees in 28 locations across Lucas, Wood and Defiance counties. Services include counseling, psychiatry services, alcohol and other drug assessment, prevention and treatment, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, and partial hospitalization. The mission is to improve the health and well-being of individuals and families by providing the highest quality compassionate care possible has been Harbor's purpose for over 100 years. Harbor has been awarded Top Workplace for Greater Toledo for 4 consecutive years.  For more information about Harbor and the services provided, visit www.harbor.org.

About Mercy Health-Toledo
Mercy Health-Toledo is a member of Mercy Health, the largest health system in Ohio and the fourth largest employer in the state. Locally, Mercy Health is based in Toledo, Ohio and services 20 counties in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.  Mercy Health-Toledo provides comprehensive primary and critical care services to residents as well as a robust physician group, Mercy Health Physicians, Life Flight critical air transport services and Mercy College of Ohio.

Mercy Health-Toledo is proud to provide nearly $110 million in community benefit in 2016 which includes charity care and community health services. With approximately 8,800 employees: 300 employed physicians; and 2,200 medical staff members, Mercy Health has been part of the Northwest Ohio community it serves for more than 162 years. Please visit mercy.com for additional information and connect with Mercy Health-Toledo on Facebook, Twitter@mercynwohio and Instagram.

CONTACT:

Jean Drees
Phone: 419.262.9292
Email: [email protected]

Erica Blake
Phone: 419.261.8676
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Mercy Health; Harbor