Springfield Business Journal_2019-03-18

Hilton Garden Inn 4155 S. Nature Center Way $22 per person $150 per table of 8 Includes breakfast PURCHASE TICKETS AT SBJ.net/12People LIVE INTERVIEW WITH EDITOR ERIC OLSON Q&A: MARCH 19 | 7:30-9 AM SPONSORED BY Director, Prosper Springfield WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW FRANCINE PRATT: She’s coordinating the efforts of 300 organizations at Prosper Springfield to bolster the workforce and stop poverty. #12People F R A N C I N E P R AT T T H E T R O U B L E S H O O T E R Liaison: Huber & Associates 54 · SBJ.NET MARCH 18-24, 2019 NEWS Dea Geujen, chief nursing of- ficer. The end result led to Burrell psychiatrists and coun- selors joining staff in Mercy’s emergency department and at the Marion Center, its inpa- tient psychiatric unit. Financial terms were not disclosed. “They are in the heart of the emergency department as they are dong the patient psychiatric assessment,” Geujen said. “It’s a very integrated model and it’s so important they’re all work- ing together to provide care to the patient.” Geujen said Burrell started helping in the emergency department Jan. 7. In the first month of service, they helped shave off 60 minutes from the time between when a patient arrives at the department to their initial interaction with a behavioral health cli- nician. The wait time is typically two to four hours for a full evalua- tion, she added. Not a day goes by when mental or behav- ioral health services aren’t needed at the hospital, Geujen said. “It’s an everyday need. There is just an overall shortage of providers for mental health and we are going to have to be thinking dif- ferently to meet the need,” she said, noting Mercy recognized before the Burrell collabora- tion it didn’t have enough staff to handle the mental health de- mand. “It’s been an exceptional partnership.” The Burrell partnership with SPS is focused on staffing the Hillcrest High School atten- dance boundary, which repre- sents around 4,000 students, said Mike Dawson, SPS chief learning officer. He said the partnership was possible by the district’s ability to take advantage of men- tal health services reimbursement through Medicaid. Dawson estimated 5-10 percent of the Hillcrest student popu- lation – between 200 and 400 youth – might qualify for services. The boundary also includes Bowerman, Fremont, Robberson, Truman, Watkins and Williams elementary schools, as well as Pleasant View and Reed middle schools. Burrell staff is providing on-site thera- peutic care and case management services for students, along with training and con- sultation for faculty, Dawson said, adding the services are being provided at no cost to the district. Student services are expected to start after spring break, he added. Seven Burrell staffers have been embed- ded in the district to provide assessments and support, Dawson said, adding the partnership will expand staff to around 20. “Public schools are a reflec- tion of our community,” he said. “I’m just thankful we have a partner in Burrell that can pro- vide seamless services for our children in real time.” School districts likely will be seeing a lot more Burrell staff in the near future, Davis said, not- ing 200 new employees are ex- pected to be embedded across southwest Missouri in the next 18 months. Keep on growing The moves have resulted in Burrell add- ing around 150 people to its staff over the past 18 months, Davis said, and approximately 80 of those are behavioral health providers. In total, Burrell employs nearly 1,500. “I think our organi- zation could double in size in the next five years,” he said. “That’s what we’re projecting.” Part of that growth could come from the Natural State. A previously announced merger with Fayetteville, Ar- kansas-based Youth Bridge Inc. is nearing completion, Davis said, noting the deal should close by April. Burrell would be the controlling partner, accord- ing to the deal’s terms, which were not disclosed. Youth Bridge currently serves eight Arkansas counties. Davis said Burrell has grown from a company with an $85 million budget in fiscal 2017, when he joined the organiza- tion, to a projected $125 million total at the end of the current fiscal year. “We’ve grown pretty significantly in our revenue and that’s a combination of grow- ing services and gaining more market share, and adding new staff,” he said. As Burrell’s employ- ee count grows, so too does the total number of people it serves. Ac- cording to Burrell, it has more than 40,000 clients in Missouri, with another 5,000 to be added when the deal with Youth Bridge closes. The Arkansas merger is part of Burrell’s desire to become a regional behavioral health care network, Davis said. Adding Fayetteville to its service area would give the organization access to a larger work- force of around 750,000 people, he said. “We really believe having a regional foot- print will not only increase the number of employees in our organization but also in- crease our bandwidth to provide more care to Missourians,” he said. Dea Geujen: Mental health services are needed every day at Mercy. Mike Dawson : Around 400 students might qualify for services from Burrell. 150 Staff members added by Burrell Behavioral Health in last 18 months $125M Projected budget for Burrell Behavioral Health in current fiscal year Partners: Burrell expanding to northwest Arkansas via merger Continued from page 3