“Parachute Program” and AWARDS EHR Covered in BH Magazine

The “Parachute NYC” program is the subject of a new article in Behavioral Healthcare magazine, with a comment by Marlowe Greenberg, Foothold’s CEO. In February 2013, it was announced that Foothold’s Behavioral Health and Human Services software, AWARDS, would serve as the data-management system for this program, which is being funded through a three-year, $17.6M Innovation grant from the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The Parachute NYC program, which launched on January 10, 2013, reflects the cutting edge of healthcare delivery in the nation’s new Affordable Care Act environment by incorporating recovery and evidence-based practices into a continuum of services designed to provide individuals with a “soft landing” and to integrate health and mental health interventions. Parachute NYC offers an entry point to the mental health system by enhancing four existing mobile crisis teams to provide immediate and ongoing treatment, creating four new crisis respite centers (CRCs) as a short-term place to stay when people are feeling that crisis is imminent, and creating a Peer-operated support line.

Several of the participating providers are Foothold clients, including Community Access, Transitional Services Inc., Services for the Underserved, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, and the Mental Health Association of New York City. These agencies and others will utilize AWARDS EHR to manage and track the clinical records and other data associated with the program. Says Steve Coe, CEO of Community Access, “Besides providing a centralized portal for all program staff, AWARDS will enable streamlined reporting to support the program’s operations and outcomes measurement across multiple sites and services.” Greenberg adds, “Our clients are among the most forward-thinking Behavioral Health organizations in the country. Their leadership in such an innovative program is not surprising, and we’re proud to provide the tools to facilitate optimal collaboration.”

To read the article in Behavioral Healthcare, click here. For more information about the Parachute NYC program, click here. To learn more about the Healthcare Innovation Awards, click here.