Essentia Health-Northern Pines

Location

Essentia Health Northern Pines
5211 Hwy 110
Aurora, MN 55705
United States

 

Essentia Health Northern Pines

Essentia Health-Northern Pines is a 15-bed critical access hospital located in Aurora, Minnesota. They stand by their mission to make a healthy difference in people’s lives while valuing quality, hospitality, respect, justice, stewardship and teamwork.

In 2015, the hospital began participating in Rural Health Innovation’s Integrative Behavioral Health Program funded by the Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care.

Essentia Health-Northern Pines Medical Center identified key partners and convened a multi-organizational community mental health task force. This team identified a need for specialized resources/providers and community infrastructures; increased education to decrease the stigma of mental illness; better coordination of current services and improved early intervention as barriers in meeting their population’s behavioral health needs. 

Project GoalDischarge patients appropriately with the right supports to maintain stable mental health status
Target PopulationAll individuals who present in the emergency department (ED) in a behavioral health crisis

Strategic Objectives

  • Create community awareness and increase knowledge of behavioral resources
  • Enhance provider networking
  • Improve access to care
  • Streamline coordination of care
  • Create needed supports not currently present for this population

Positive Outcomes Within 12 Months 

  • Decreased cost by 56% for behavioral health patients who present to the ED and need to be transferred 
  • Increased behavioral health access 
  • Decreased behavioral health ED visits by 27% (see chart below) 

Essentia Health Graph

Top Accomplishments 

  • Hired a social worker who has been trained as a quasi-community worker as a resource for the ED 
  • Implementation of a community paramedic program 
  • Telehealth usage has increased, with continued provides education and promotion

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