|
New Initiatives in the Department of Psychiatry
The 3rd year medical school integrated clerkship
Three years ago, Cambridge Health Alliance was the site for a pilot
program in which 8 medical students [now 12] chose to spend the
entire third year at one hospital in an integrated, longitudinal
year-long educational experience. Since then, this model has expanded
from the Cambridge Health Alliance to the other Harvard teaching
hospitals. The clerkship emphasizes longitudinal contacts with patients
in a community setting to assure a full and complete understanding
of human disease and recovery, prevention and the experience of
illness. Students experience 'whole episodes' of illness and the
follow-up of patients in their homes, rehabilitation facilities
and nursing homes, encounter patients of multiple economic, social
and cultural strata and appreciate the role of these factors in
illness. Students have hands-on patient contacts in all of the disciplines.
Cambridge Health Alliance provides a formal curriculum including
psychiatry, medicine, surgery and pediatrics, as well as basic science,
health policy, public health, education that is vertically and horizontally-integrated
and grounded in adult educational principles designed to extend
and expand the students' knowledge base and clinical skills.
The Center for Child and Adolescent Development (CCAD) is
a regional multidisciplinary service that works with children, adolescents,
and young adults facing learning, behavioral, and developmental
challenges to achieve their fullest potential. CCAD is a collaborative
learning facility. We work with patients and families as partners
and continually learn together. We serve patients of all cultures
and offer services to non-English speakers through our bilingual
staff and certified medical interpreters.
The CCAD team is led by Jean A. Frazier, MD, and Jerome J. Schultz,
PhD. Dr. Frazier is a board certified child psychiatrist, internationally
known for her research and clinical work with children with severe
emotional disturbance. Formerly the Director of the Pediatric Psychotic
Disorders Research Program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, she continues
to have a staff appointment there. Dr. Schultz is a respected neuropsychologist
and an international consultant and staff development specialist
who, prior to joining CCAD, was the Founding Director of the Learning
Lab at Lesley University.
CCAD offers Comprehensive Neuropsychological Evaluations, evaluations
and consultation for Autism Spectrum Disorders, neurological evaluation,
ongoing Treatment, parent consultations, psychopharmacological consultations,
and school consultation.
Clinical Research Program for DUI
As part of the mission of Cambridge Health Alliance to improve the
health and wellbeing of our communities, Dr. Mark Albanese, Medical
Director of the Department of Psychiatry's Addictions service, has
initiated a DUI Program with both a clinical and research component,
to treat both first-time DUI offenders and repeat offenders. Dr.
Albanese and his colleagues have considerable experience in addressing
the complicated issue of driving under the influence.
Other Initiatives in the Department of Psychiatry
- They said it couldn't be done... Over this past year,
the impossible has been accomplished on psychiatric inpatient
units at Cambridge Health Alliance: all units have become smoke
free, significantly improving the quality of life for patients
and staff alike, and essentially eliminating the elopement of
patients.
- Patient safety... Cambridge Health Alliance has initiated
a conversion to a completely electronic outpatient medical record
system that will allow enhanced confidentiality, instantaneous
communication among a patient's providers, and safety systems
for medication interactions and access to important patient information
from anywhere throughout the system. In addition, the medical
record system for the inpatient units includes a program that
facilitates computerized physician order entry (CPOE), to prevent
medication errors.
- Programmatic initiatives... include expanding Women's
mental health services, behavioral medicine, and services to the
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender populations (GLBT).
|
|
|
