Texas Tech Health
Science Center
Permian Basin
Department of
Psychiatry
• Current mental health service shortages
• Increase in demand as more Texans become
insured through the Affordable Care Act
• Increasing inpatient behavioral health
admissions
• Continued population growth of RHP 14 region
• Serving West Texas’ largely rural counties
• Serving the uninsured and underinsured
Background
• Reduce wait time to less than one week for existing services
• Increase services provided to include geriatric, child, forensic,
& psychosomatic
• Introduce Tele-psychiatry services to the West Texas Region
for patients who currently travel more than 45 minutes to
receive services
• Provide Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
• Increase access for and reach out to vulnerable segments of
society such as women with postpartum depression, and
children and adolescents who show self-harming and suicidal
tendencies
Expansion of Services
• Develop and make available Tele-psychiatry services to the
West Texas region, including the adjoining 22 counties.
• Reduce the current patient wait time especially for those who
travel over 45 minutes to receive services
• Tele-psychiatry can make a significant impact on the delivery
of mental health services, particularly to individuals with less
access
• Patient access is improved and satisfaction is high
• Reduction of stigma associated with mental health services
• Improved convenience and greater likelihood of compliance
Tele-psychiatry
• Develop and make available of Electroconvulsive
therapy (ECT) services to indicated psychiatric patients
• ECT is the safest and most effective treatments available
for severe depression
• Consultations will be performed by Dr. Jain at the Texas
Tech Physicians of the Permian Basin Clinic in Midland
• ECT procedures will be done at Midland Memorial
Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Jain
Electroconvulsive
Therapy
• Develop liaisons with the school districts and hospitals for referrals
• Support Groups :
 Depression Support Group
 Caring for Moms: post partum support group
 HOPE: Hold On Pain Ends- Adolescent self-mutilation group
 Helping Hand: Terminally ill cancer support
 Anti-Bullying Support Group
 Fibromyalgia Support Group
 Eating Disorder Support Group
 Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT)/Cognitive Behavior Therapy
(CBT) Support Group
Develop Community
Outreach Programs
• Two PhD psychologists
- Dr. Melanie Sheets
- Dr. Shelley Blancett
• Licensed Social Worker
- Amber Chavez, LSW
• Retain a recruitment firm to begin procuring another
psychiatrist
Recruit Faculty
and Staff