Pine Rest, Corewell Health partner to address behavioral health needs
GRAND RAPIDS — Two of West Michigan's largest healthcare providers are partnering to address behavioral health issues in the community.
Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services and Corewell Health announced a new partnership called the Collaborative for Behavioral Health. It represents an effort to “intentionally and regularly identify behavioral health issues affecting the community, and to solve them through collaborative projects.”
The partnership will address wait times for care, the cost of behavioral healthcare, and barriers to pediatric behavioral health services.
Both Corewell and Pine Rest will remain independent and continue to work with other providers, but working together is a “natural partnership” as the providers look to serve the community, they said.
“Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services and Corewell Health do not just serve this community; we are a part of it," said Pine Rest President and CEO Mark Eastburg. "West Michigan is our home.
"We have shared goals, values, and an understanding of the barriers to care our community members face because we, too, face the same challenges. Our organizations set out to create a healthier, thriving West Michigan because we care about our neighbors, family and friends who are the heart of this community.”
Subscribe:Receive unlimited access to your local news coverage
The first step of the Collaborative for Behavioral Health partnership is an initiative announced last July, according to Darryl Elmouchi, president of Corewell Health in West Michigan. Pine Rest and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital announced the Pediatric Behavioral Health Center of Excellence last summer, “signaling the start” of a partnership.
“The Collaborative for Behavioral Health is founded upon the shared belief that we are in a new era of healthcare — one that recognizes we can only solve our community’s largest healthcare challenges through collaboration and innovation,” Elmouchi said.
“Corewell Health and Pine Rest providers often work together in caring for the same patients. This collaborative is a formal statement of our shared goals and our vision to intentionally partner wherever possible to benefit the entire community.”
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Pine Rest, Corewell Health partner to address behavioral health needs
