To address what was already a growing need for mental health care pre-pandemic, Newport Healthcare has announced the opening of three new outpatient programs, with more slated to open later this fall. Newport Healthcare is a national network of evidence-based healing centers for teens and young adults with primary mental health disorders. The new outpatient programs are located in Kirkland, Wash., Santa Monica, Calif., and Atlanta. Programs in Dallas, Virginia, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee will open soon. Newport’s five current outpatient treatment programs are in Darien, Conn., Malvern, Pa., Rockville, Md., Orange County, Calif., and Marin, Calif.
Teen and young adult mental health issues have distinctly worsened as a result of the COVID pandemic’s disruption of key developmental activities such as peer interactions, school, sports, work, and daily routines. According to one frequently cited national poll, 46% of parents say their teen has shown signs of a new or worsening mental health condition since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. The same poll found that one in three teen girls and one in five teen boys have experienced new or worsening anxiety, with similar numbers reporting depression symptoms. More than half (56%) of young adults ages 18-24 reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder during the pandemic, and 25% reported that they started or increased substance use as a means to cope.
“Outpatient treatment is an important part of the mental health care continuum, and we are pleased to bring these services to more areas to address our nation’s ongoing mental health crisis,” said Ed Speedling, MHA, MSW, FACHE, Newport Healthcare’s Vice President of Outpatient Services. “Every day, we see news of brave individuals who are helping to eliminate the stigma by sharing their struggles with mental health. Awareness is a first step. We must also have treatment accessibility, which is what these new options provide for families.”
Newport’s outpatient programming has three levels: a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and Continuing Connections, a weekly outpatient program often delivered via telehealth.
- The PHP is an all-day, Monday through Friday, on-site treatment program that includes academics and 4-5 hours of clinical sessions per day. This is the highest level of outpatient care for teens who need daily support and structure in a therapeutic environment, while still living at home.
- The IOP is for teens and young adults who are beginning to meet vocational and educational goals and do not require all-day support as they continue their recovery. The IOP treatment program is three hours per day, Monday through Friday, and provides individual, family, and group therapy.
- Continuing Connections offers clients a more flexible schedule, with the number of days/hours based on the individual’s clinical needs as well as their personal goals and the goals of their family.
Newport’s outpatient treatment programs often serve as step-down levels of care from residential treatment but can also be a family’s next appropriate level of care when sessions with an individual therapist are no longer successful. As with Newport’s residential care, the outpatient programs focus on family involvement and support with Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT), as well as providing academic or vocational opportunities, and experiential learning activities such as art, yoga, music, and adventure therapy.
Newport Healthcare is in-network with numerous insurance providers and will work with all major insurances to make treatment as affordable as possible for families. In 2020, 96% of Newport’sclients utilized insurance to pay for services.
“Bringing accessible, affordable, evidence-based mental health care to families is our priority,” said Joe Procopio, CEO of Newport Healthcare. “Every young person deserves to be well.”