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Creation of Behavioral Health OT Consult Service

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Creation of Behavioral Health OT Consult Service

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The Behavioral Health OT Consult Service is designed 1) to provide access to services and meaningful activities to patients experiencing an acute mental health crisis and 2) to train and support staff members in trauma-informed care practices.

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OT was founded from the 19th century moral treatment movement, offering therapeutic and humane treatment approaches (Creek & Lougher, 2011)​​

Now <5% of OTPs work in Mental Health​

Lack of funding and reimbursement challenges, which are deemed not sustainable at the mental health care level (Gee et al., 2022).

OTPs work in mental health with the use of evidence-based, occupation-focused, and client-centered occupational therapy interventions, and have an important role in advocating for patients (AOTA, 2020)

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Institutional​ Level

Approved NHSR for Tufts IRB to continue Quality Improvement Project!

Hiring/Onboarding 12.6 FTE of Mental Health Specialists

State Level

Submitting an abstract to MAOT conference ​

Advocating for The Occupational Therapy Mental Health Parity Act (S. 4712)​

National​ Level

Submitting a manuscript to OT Practice Magazine​

AOTA Inspire 2024

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Currently, in the United States, limited access to high-quality, evidence-based mental and behavioral health services results in increased wait times for patients in dire need of care (Glomb & Grupp-Phelan, 2020).

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Working during the COVID-19 pandemic, let me see firsthand, the barriers to mental/behavioral health services. Children were boarding on medical units for upwards of 60+ days, waiting for inpatient mental health admissions. A team of us worked to support kids during this crisis, until our hospital announced a closure of the Tufts Children's Hospital.

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To improve the resiliency & recovery of patients experiencing a mental health crisis by expanding access of OT services by creating a trauma-informed Behavioral Health OT consultation service across the medical center.

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Epidemic in the Pandemic: The Impact on the Mental Health of Children

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As the transition back to pre-pandemic life begins following the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and nurses are realizing the astronomical toll that time took on the mental health of Massachusetts children."We need to spotlight this," Mary Margaret Quinn, a Tufts Children's Hospital staff nurse said. "This is not going away anytime soon. We are seeing more and more of these kids as young as 7 coming in in a mental health crisis."According to Tufts, mental health claims in teenagers doubled between March 2019 to March 2020, with emergency visits skyrocketing. The surge meant an increase in children waiting for an inpatient psychiatric bed. "Our emergency room was typically about 72 hours waiting time for kids with a mental health crisis," Nikki Beatrice, an occupational therapist with Tufts Medical Center said. "Right now, we're seeing anywhere from six-and-a-half days to 42 days waiting for an inpatient bed placement."The hospital has taken a new initiative to help kids during those long wait times. "Right now, we're working as a collaborative team to get these kids active and motivated in programs," Beatrice says. "To allow them to heal and get therapy while they're still here in the hospital."It includes a dedicated floor of consult staff, a music therapist, crisis tools and a therapy dog. Experts believe the mental toll is far from over, and it will take continued collaboration to take care of children, long after the COVID-19 pandemic is gone."I think we need a lot of support," Beatrice says. "We're doing the best we can. We're all working together, but I think it's bigger than us and I think the biggest thing is just knowing that -- for families, for kids -- you're not alone."

As the transition back to pre-pandemic life begins following the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and nurses are realizing the astronomical toll that time took on the mental health of Massachusetts children.

"We need to spotlight this," Mary Margaret Quinn, a Tufts Children's Hospital staff nurse said. "This is not going away anytime soon. We are seeing more and more of these kids as young as 7 coming in in a mental health crisis."

According to Tufts, mental health claims in teenagers doubled between March 2019 to March 2020, with emergency visits skyrocketing.

The surge meant an increase in children waiting for an inpatient psychiatric bed.

"Our emergency room was typically about 72 hours waiting time for kids with a mental health crisis," Nikki Beatrice, an occupational therapist with Tufts Medical Center said. "Right now, we're seeing anywhere from six-and-a-half days to 42 days waiting for an inpatient bed placement."

The hospital has taken a new initiative to help kids during those long wait times.

"Right now, we're working as a collaborative team to get these kids active and motivated in programs," Beatrice says. "To allow them to heal and get therapy while they're still here in the hospital."

It includes a dedicated floor of consult staff, a music therapist, crisis tools and a therapy dog.

Experts believe the mental toll is far from over, and it will take continued collaboration to take care of children, long after the COVID-19 pandemic is gone.

"I think we need a lot of support," Beatrice says. "We're doing the best we can. We're all working together, but I think it's bigger than us and I think the biggest thing is just knowing that -- for families, for kids -- you're not alone."

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Mass. doctors seeing mental health impact of COVID-19 pandemic on kids

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As the transition back to pre-pandemic life begins following the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and nurses are realizing the astronomical toll that time took on the mental health of Massachusetts children."We need to spotlight this," Mary Margaret Quinn, a Tufts Children's Hospital staff nurse said. "This is not going away anytime soon.

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Explore my CV to learn more about my professional, clinical, and scholarship experiences.

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Let's Stay Connected:
Email: Nikkibyogi@gmail.com
Email: NDBeatrice@mghihp.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkibeatrice/