JACKSON, Wyo. — After retiring from a long career as a urologist, Dr. Lisa Finkelstein became a champion for expanding access to care for patients living in rural America, particularly Wyoming. “When we met years ago, Lisa envisioned large numbers of patients seeing their medical providers via telehealth, and she pursued this vision with passion and ultimately was able to see it become a reality,” said St. John’s Health (SJH) community relations director Karen Connelly.
In 2020, St. John’s Health received a four-year $1.2 -million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop and evaluate strategies for reaching patients via telehealth. “An unanticipated silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic was the widespread realization that telemedicine was vital,” noted Dr. Finkelstein. “There really was no question anymore about the immense value of virtual care.”
The HRSA grant – along with Dr. Finkelstein’s leadership — provided the leg up that helped St. John’s Health build and grow a telemedicine program for behavioral health services. “Due to the funding, we were able to build sustainable systems for offering care via telehealth,” said St. John’s Health behavioral services operations manager Lindsay Long, MSW, LCSW. “Now that the pandemic is behind us, we’re seeing that patients still want choices for how they receive care.” For many patients at SJH, the choice seems to be based on the medical service. Patients in Dr. Nils Westfall’s child and adolescent psychiatry clinic tend to heavily lean toward virtual visits, for example, while therapists in the primary care clinics trend toward a preference for in-person visits. “Even for patients who really love coming and meeting with their therapist in-person, virtual care remains an important tool for patients who are unable to come in for their appointment,” explains Long.
Long highlights several outcomes from the grant that have helped her team advance behavioral health services for SJH patients. Over the past four years, the number of patients receiving behavioral and psychiatric care via SJH telehealth grew from two visits per month in 2019 to 3,804 total virtual visits in 2023. Virtual care during the pandemic allowed patients to get care they otherwise may have chosen not to receive.
In addition, telehealth enabled SJH to provide specialty care in the region outside Jackson, where psychiatric resources are more limited. Telehealth allows patients from these communities to avoid taking time off from work or school to travel to see their doctor. This saves both time and money for the patient and their family; it’s estimated that the SJH telepsychiatry program eliminated more than 400,000 hours of driving time for patients in 2023.
As the HRSA grant sunsets, St. John’s Health plans to expand its behavioral health offerings with the support of community partners. Indeed, community collaborations and education have helped pave the way. With partners, including Mental Health and Recovery Services of JH, Teton Youth and Family Services, St. John’s Health Foundation, Community Prevention Coalition of Teton County, Community Foundation of JH, and Teton County School District, Teton County welcomed Dr. Kent Corso to Jackson in May of 2023. Dr. Corso taught suicide prevention techniques to all sectors of the community, from first responders to teachers, healthcare workers, and mental health professionals.
The 2024 St. John’s Health Strategic Plan highlighted the need for an Adult Psychiatrist to join the St. John’s Health team. Thanks to support from the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, efforts are underway to recruit someone who can serve the community with an understanding of the unique nuances and challenges of living in a mountain town.
