Adena Partners with Chillicothe VA to Expand Local Psychiatry Services
Adena Health System has partnered with the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center to offer a fully-accredited Psychiatry Residency Program through its Graduate Medical Education (GME) Program. This is the only behavioral health residency program in the region.
“The overall objective of the partnership and training program is to develop highly-skilled psychiatrists, and to supply talented providers who have been specially trained in the region,” said Dr. Nathan Shiflett, Adena’s GME Psychiatry Residency Program Director. “Our end goal is to retain these providers to continue practicing psychiatry services locally, helping to meet the region’s demand for behavioral health services.”
According to the Ross County 2016 Health Needs Assessment, top health issues for people in the county include: obesity, lung cancer, addiction, depression, and anxiety. Each of these conditions can be supported through psychiatry and behavioral health services. The necessity for behavioral health and psychiatry resources is not just a local need, but is a state and national area of need. In 2017, 2.5 million Ohioans accessed mental health or substance abuse prevention, treatment or support services through the Ohio Department of Mental Health Services.
“The partnership between Adena and the VA for a Psychiatry Residency Program is an opportunity to better serve the mental health needs of our community,” said Dr. Allison Dailey, Director of Adena Psychiatric Services. “This will allow for increased access to high quality care for our patients, in addition to the opportunity to recruit and retain psychiatrists who understand our community and our patients.”
The four-year program begins in July 2019. The 12 residents will then complete rotations at the Chillicothe VA, the Adena Counseling Center and Adena Regional Medical Center.
“The new partnership between the Chillicothe VA and Adena Health System will give psychiatry residents a new, diverse and integrative experience that will open our education to richer more complex clinical experiences,” said Chillicothe VA’s Chief Resident Dr. Heather Theibert. “The partnership will better prepare us for the new, comprehensive world of Medicine.”
For more information about Adena’s Graduate Medical Education Program, click here
