MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT – OCTOBER 2019

MediTelecare, the nation’s leading provider of behavioral telehealth services to Skilled Nursing and long term care facilities, is helping to prepare its partnering facilities for Phase III of The Final Rule, which goes into effect November 28, 2019. With implementation of this rule, facilities will be expected to follow guiding principles that underscore Trauma Informed Care. At the heart of Trauma Informed Care is the concept of recognizing trauma and its effects, and commitment to creating an environment that resists re-traumatization.

As their behavioral health partner, MediTelecare is preparing its facilities for the upcoming changes by helping them to understand and define Trauma. This includes equipping staff with the necessary training and resources to effectively recognize when a resident meets the diagnostic criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Chief Psychology Officer, Sherie L. Friedrich, PsyD, is leading the Trauma Informed Care initiative for MediTelecare by ensuring that partnering facilities are prepared to:

• Integrate concepts of trauma and Trauma Informed Care into their Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement Plans
• Train and educate staff on Trauma Informed Care
• Assess and train staff for competencies in providing care to residents with a trauma diagnosis or history – MediTelecare uses a combination of proprietary training tools that include telehealth, digital online, live or recorded webinar(s), and other format training tools with Skilled Nursing Facilities

In regard to what Trauma Informed Care means for residents at skilled nursing and long term care facilities, Dr. Friedrich says, “Trauma interrupts a basic need for safety. In order to reach their fullest potential, a person must first feel safe. What better gift can we give our aging residents than the opportunity to experience this sense of comfort?”

So far, MediTelecare’s partnering facilities have seen success in implementing Trauma Informed Care and establishing an environment that fosters emotional safety for their residents. This is a direct result of these facilities’ commitment to train with the MediTelecare team and utilize the services and resources they provide to better recognize trauma and its long-term consequences.

About MediTelecare: MediTelecare is the industry leader in providing behavioral telehealth services to residents of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. Their services utilize televideo with face-to-face communication, and other virtual telemedicine technologies to streamline diagnostic evaluations and design personalized treatment plans for each resident’s needs. The company’s clinical team consists of psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, psychologists, and clinical social workers providing behavioral telehealth services to approximately 20,000 residents in over 250 Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) across 16 states.

For more information on how to better prepare your facility for Phase III of The Final Rule, contact Sherie L. Friedrich at [email protected] or at (860) 788-6404. Our team has prepared a toolkit to empower you with the information you with the essential tools needed to understand and begin to implement Trauma Informed Care at your facility. You can also register for our virtual info session on October 16^th at 10:00 AM.