Today Stamford Health debuted its first adult outpatient behavioral health office – a major step in the organization’s multiyear strategic plan to grow behavioral health programs and services in the community.
Located at the Tully Health Center, the new program offers an array of mental health and well-being services for adults 18 years or older, including psychiatric evaluations, psychiatric medication management, individual psychotherapy and group psychotherapy.
“Our new office provides our patients with the tools and resources needed to build and maintain better mental health and wellness,” said Stamford Health Chair of Psychiatry, Raviv Berlin, M.D. “By increasing these services in our community, we hope to further reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and offer treatment for the mind the same way we prevent and treat physical ailments.”
Stamford Health’s most recent Community Health Needs Assessment identified behavioral health as the No. 1 unmet community health need. In response, Stamford Health is taking a multifaceted approach to expanding access to mental health care and annually hosts a community-wide behavioral health stakeholder retreat to create action plans for those unmet needs.
In July 2021, Stamford Health Medical Group (SHMG) — which has more than 40 offices in lower Fairfield County — and Stamford-based Liberation Programs initiated a collaboration to allow for the co-location of outpatient medical services with behavioral health services at clinics in Stamford and Greenwich. Presently, Stamford Health offers psychiatry services in its Bennett Cancer Center, Women’s Specialty Center and its geriatric program, provided by Marco Michael, M.D., and Kristen Browne, LCSW. Future plans also include expansion and modernization of acute care psychiatric services for patients in crisis.
“Our vision is to be the most trusted health care provider for the communities we serve,” added President and CEO Kathleen Silard. “The addition of this program will make care more accessible for our patients and help address the global mental health crisis beginning on a local level.”
Stamford Health’s outpatient behavioral health office operates 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays by referral-based appointments only and is staffed by SHMG psychiatrist Jordan Kurtz, M.D., and psychotherapist Ishara O’Carroll, LCSW. Clinicians can treat conditions such as anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, personality disorders, trauma and stressor-related disorders and schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.
Referrals are being accepted from Stamford Health medical providers. For more, visit Behavioral Health & Psychiatry Services at Stamford Health.
