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<\/p>\nBETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 A broken leg and a broken psyche.<\/p>\n
Wendy Lazo, president of St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network\u2019s Bethlehem campus, believes they should be treated equally by the insurance coverage community.<\/p>\n
The painful truth is, they are not required by law to do so.<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had the answer to that, we could all leave here right now,\u201d Lazo said Monday during the release of St. Luke\u2019s recently completed triennial Community Health Needs Assessment at Nitschmann Middle School.<\/p>\n
The survey identified a host of medical-related conditions and concerns of more than 6,000 Bethlehem residents who were surveyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all comes down to money.”<\/p>\n
Wendy Lazo, president, St. Luke’s Bethlehem campus<\/p>\n
Overall, St. Luke\u2019s surveyed more than 15,000 residents of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. The results showed residents\u2019 top three priorities: Access to care, chronic disease prevention and mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all comes down to money,\u201d Lazo told the gathering. “Today, they can get away with not playing for those [mental health] services. The funding from the state and federal government isn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd many of the payers who do pay for mental health services are running at a deficit already.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fifty-two percent of Bethlehem residents surveyed cited mental health as a top priority, nearly mirroring data from those surveyed in Allentown (54%) and Easton (51%).<\/p>\n
Among students, 27% reported being bullied. Forty-seven percent reported not feeling connected to their community.<\/p>\n
Mental health coverage<\/p>\n
Mental health and physical health insurance coverage are not always the same, because of factors such as provider shortages, lower reimbursement rates for mental health professionals, and a historical lack of parity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Phil Gianficaro<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
LehighValleyNews.com<\/p>\n
Mental health was among the more pressing concerns of Bethlehem residents who responded to a survey by St. Luke’s<\/p>\n
That’s even though federal laws such as the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act aim to make them more equal.<\/p>\n
Insurers often offer lower reimbursement rates to mental health providers, discouraging them from joining insurance networks and sometimes requiring more out-of-pocket payments from patients.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we need someone to drive that change. But no one is stepping up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wendy Lazo, president of St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network\u2019s Bethlehem campus<\/p>\n
The solution, Lazo said, is to reform the entire health care system.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we need someone to drive that change,\u201d she said. \u201cBut no one is stepping up.\u201d<\/p>\n
St. Luke\u2019s has been at the front line of assisting those with mental health challenges, including, but not limited to, nearly 4,500 mental health visits in Bethlehem Area School District, 315 in the Northampton County adolescent admissions for treatment at St. Luke\u2019s Adolescent Behavioral Health Unit.<\/p>\n
St. Luke\u2019s also has received a 100% satisfaction rate among mothers who participated in the Moving Beyond Depression Program with its Nurse Family Partnership.<\/p>\n
‘A long way to go’<\/p>\n
Among Bethlehem students, 43% reported feeling sad or depressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re making progress, but we still have a long way to go,\u201d said Rosemarie Lister, St. Luke\u2019s senior network director of community health.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re part of the Penn Foundation\u2019s mental health services, called Mental Health Matters. It\u2019s a resource and information program with inpatient and outpatient programs for children, adolescents and adults.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso \u201cYess!\u201d is a school-based program in Bethlehem had 4,000 encounters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need family members and people in the community to know what\u2019s going on in mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, nonprofit hospitals are required to conduct a CHNA every three years to maintain tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.<\/p>\n
Access to care, food insecurity<\/p>\n
The two remaining areas of primary concerns of those surveyed were access to care and chronic disease prevention.<\/p>\n
Access to care covered connection to care, workforce development and transportation and housing.<\/p>\n
While 93% of Bethlehem respondents reported visits to the doctor, only 62% without health benefits visited their doctor.<\/p>\n
Nearly 50% of renters reported being cost-burdened, said Rajika Reed, St. Luke\u2019s vice president of community health.<\/p>\n