Thriving Telepsychiatry Program Expands into Northeast Georgia

Since its inception in July 1995, the Medical College of Georgia telepsychiatry initiative has continued to grow and develop. Telepsychiatry has now surpassed radiology to become the most requested specialty consultation through the Georgia Statewide Telemedicine Program. Approximately 40 patients are seen each month, with a cumulative total exceeding 1,000.

One reason for this phenomenal growth is the serious shortage of mental health services in Georgia. Of the 159 counties in the state, only 38 have psychiatrists in residence, with the majority concentrated in the larger cities such as Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah. Many consumers are forced to drive long distances to be seen at satellite mental health clinics or receive no care at all.

Child and adolescent services are especially scarce, with only 63 child psychiatrists in the entire state; these specialists also are clustered in larger cities. Approximately 40% of patients referred to telepsychiatry have never been seen by a psychiatrist prior to their contact with telemedicine, thus illustrating the need for more accessible mental health services within the state.

Presently, MCG telepsychiatry is serving adult populations in Athens and Wrightsville, with consultations to Warrenton and other sites as requested. A specialized child and adolescent telepsychiatry service was established in July 1998 in Waycross and Wrightsville and demand for those services also has increased at a rapid rate. Consultation and treatment recommendations for child cases are provided by a multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Elizabeth Sunde, child psychiatrist. The team also may include a geneticist, pediatrician, social worker, pediatric neurologist and others depending upon the needs of the patient and family.

Dr. Rhonda Vought, lead psychiatrist of the MCG Telepsychiatry Program, relocated to the Gainesville area in July which provided an opportunity for the expansion of telepsychiatry services into northeast Georgia to include Gainesville, Clayton and other rural communities.

Dr. Lydia Weisser, medical director of the MCG Psychiatry Inpatient Unit and director of MCG’s Emergency Psychiatry Services has also joined telepsychiatry and is working with Dr. Vought to provide clinical services and oversee development of the telepsychiatry program. Dr. Weisser is currently exploring the possibility of establishing a telepsychiatry clinic at the Richmond County Jail in Augusta where she treats inmates on site two days each week.

The program’s growing success has earned recognition at a national level. In the past year presentations have been made in Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, D.C. In Canada, presentations were given to audiences in Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver. Plans for the coming year also include research of additional videoconferencing units that run at a lower bandwidth than a T-1 line, the bandwidth used by the GSTP system.