Improve Access to Mental Healthcare
Donation protected
We have found, there are so many good people that experience hurt and pain. These good people often suffer in silence and try their best to “just make it through”. Many doubt they can improve the way they feel and become hopeless. Some turn to drugs , alcohol, or other forms of unhealthy living in an attempt to feel anything different. Others continue to suffer in silence until they are overcome with thoughts of suicide and consider taking their own life to end their suffering. But in this world where suffering and pain is experienced there are helpers. There are so many caring people that want to help those in need and bring a message of hope and strength to the hopeless and hurting. It is easy to be consumed by the darkness but these helpers bring light.
With the funds that are raised, we intend to reduce the out of pocket costs our patients experience so their access to treatment can improve and no longer be an added stressor in their current struggles. Depending on the amount we can all raise together, we hope to be able to provide either a 60:40, 70:30, 80:20 or 90:10 (charity to patient responsibility) cost sharing.
Have you or anyone you know struggled with any of the following:
· Depression , anxiety or felt overwhelmed by the stress of life.
· A concerned parent of a child who is struggling with ADHD, social and/or intellectual difficulties.
· A child who is struggling with building positive self esteem due to academic and peer pressures.
· A child or family that has been the victim of domestic violence, abuse or addiction .
· Known an adolescent that won’t open up but is turning to unhealthy relationships, cutting or drug abuse in a desperate attempt to deal with the internal pain they are experiencing.
· A couple that is struggling with holding their marriage together as they just try to get through the day.
A parent who made the choice to stay at home to raise their children but struggles with the transitions out of the work environment and confronts isolation, stress and a changing sense of self.
· A single parent who is grieving the loss of their marriage but has to hold on to support their children who have endured a life altering change to their family and are experiencing the emotions felt by the children of divorce.
· A young adult who is struggling with trying to build self confidence as they approach adulthood while being forced to confront their social anxiety or other difficulties that create obstacles between them and their future goals.
· A young adult in their mid 20’s with no direction and yet experiences the pressures of family and social expectations in an effort to not be labeled as a “failure to launch” adult; or, the parents who don’t know how to motivate their young adult child without contributing to feelings of rejection and inferiority in someone they love.
· A working adult that struggles with stress management and finding the work/life balance that will help them prevent burnout and strive to feel fulfilled and in touch with a sense of purpose.
· An adult that has experienced their first episode of a mental health disorder and does not know where to turn and who to trust with the symptoms they are experiencing.
· A parent grieving the empty nest feeling after children leave home to enter adulthood, the loss of a friend or family member, or having to take care of the estate planning and medical care of an ailing parent or child.
· A retiree that struggles with finding a definition of themselves and their purpose once their working years have ended and many of their roles in life have changed significantly due to age, health or disability.
Our combined practices work hard to bring this compassionate light to our patients and to truly engage in a thoughtful, caring connection to help bring healing to the hurting. We have seen many patients get better when they have adequate support and good access to consistent treatment. Some need medications and medical treatments while benefitting from counseling and being educated on how to make life changes to improve the way they feel. We have seen too many obstacles that get in the way of a patient’s access to quality mental health support and treatment. We are striving to break down these walls and help provide the access to care these hurting people need so they can work to improve their lives with as many resources as possible available to them.
Navigating the systems of insurance companies, pre-authorization of services, claim filing, refiling and fighting claims that are denied as well as finding a qualified provider a patient trusts and can reasonably travel to attend their appointments can be difficult even for the very educated and emotionally stable. Many patients suffering with depression, anxiety and other disorders find these challenges near impossible. Others have shared how dealing with these challenges only serves to confirm their negative thought about not being worthy of having access to the help that exists.
The following are the real world examples of obstacles patients often face when seeking treatment:
- Insurance changes and finding a quality provider that is “in network" becomes difficult. Some people have a health insurance plan that offers no mental or behavioral health coverage at all.
-Many providers for mental health have stopped accepting insurances due to low reimbursements and the paperwork load on their staff to deal with the filing of claims and “red tape” .
-Many insurance companies limit the number of sessions or services a patient can have or limit the types of services that they will cover. Many insurance companies will not fully cover services like couples counseling, family therapy, parent training and/or in home counseling or support.
-Many cannot afford their copayments or high deductibles and this often creates a financial limitation to how often they can attend their appointments.
-We have seen parents struggle in making a decision as to which of their three children will get counseling first because their $45 copayment for weekly sessions would make it impossible for all of the children to participate in individual counseling at the same time. Parents often sacrifice their own need for treatment in order to make sure their children get their medications and counseling first.
-Employers can change insurance plans and even though a patient or family has been working with a mental health professional they trust and have seen progress with; they may not be able to afford to continue if their provider is not on the new plan . This can create inconsistencies with treatment if the patient has to switch providers and a risk of relapse if they fall into gaps in the system.
-Older patients may transition to Medicare and this creates the same problem where the providers they trust may not be Medicare providers and seeking a new provider may risk their health.
We are striving to break down these walls and help those who are hurting or struggling in our community obtain access to the quality care they deserve. We are beginning this fund in an attempt to help alleviate the financial burden inherent in all of the obstacles listed above. We want to show those who are hurting they are cared for; that the helpers of the world find them worthy and want to bring hope that their lives and health can improve.
With the funds that are raised, we intend to reduce the out of pocket costs our patients experience so their access to treatment can improve and no longer be an added stressor in their current struggles. We have found patients are more invested in their treatment if they have some financial or personal investment in the process. This also helps to preserve their dignity and in promoting the self esteem that is important for a patient to own the progress they create in their treatment.
Depending on the amount we can all raise together, we hope to be able to provide either a 60:40, 70:30, 80:20 or 90:10 (charity to patient responsibility) cost sharing. Any financial contribution made to help those who are hurting know there are people who care and want to help bring a light into their dark times to illuminate a path to the health and wellness we all deserve. The page will be updated to account for where donations are going and how they are reaching those who need help accessing treatment.
We have established one office suite, where we have combined Psychiatry, Counseling and a new technology called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. This combination of services offers a wide range of treatment options that can be combined or used individually to tailor a patient’s treatment to meet their clinical needs and take into account any individual limitations like not wanting to take medications or having a history of poor response or side effects related to medications.
We would like to continue to expand our services to include other forms of holistic therapy like nutrition education, relaxation classes and low impact exercise classes. We have plans to develop wilderness experiences, seminars and retreats for individuals, couples and families; however, these services are not covered by insurance and can be costly to begin due to materials or contracting outside resources in order to bring even more forms of support to those in need. We would be honored by any contribution you would make towards these goals in helping us make access to treatment easier and expanding the types of support offered to those in need.
Michael Gambuti, MA. LPC. NCC. - Providing Individual, Couples and Family Counseling
www.fortitudepsychotherapy.com
Andrew Martin, MD - Board Certified in Adult and Child Psychiatry
www.TexasFamilyPsychiatry.com
Karol Martin and Heather Davis - TMS technicians
www.TranquilityTmsCenter.com
Our wonderful office staff Olga Huerta who treats all of our patients with kindness and seeks to find any way possible to get around the obstacles patients face to get the treatment they need.
We can all work together to bring compassionate care to all who need it and work to reduce the barriers that make accessing care difficult and bring back the simple joy we get by helping and watching others grow and learn to enjoy life again. Thank you in advance for your giving.
With the funds that are raised, we intend to reduce the out of pocket costs our patients experience so their access to treatment can improve and no longer be an added stressor in their current struggles. Depending on the amount we can all raise together, we hope to be able to provide either a 60:40, 70:30, 80:20 or 90:10 (charity to patient responsibility) cost sharing.
Have you or anyone you know struggled with any of the following:
· Depression , anxiety or felt overwhelmed by the stress of life.
· A concerned parent of a child who is struggling with ADHD, social and/or intellectual difficulties.
· A child who is struggling with building positive self esteem due to academic and peer pressures.
· A child or family that has been the victim of domestic violence, abuse or addiction .
· Known an adolescent that won’t open up but is turning to unhealthy relationships, cutting or drug abuse in a desperate attempt to deal with the internal pain they are experiencing.
· A couple that is struggling with holding their marriage together as they just try to get through the day.
A parent who made the choice to stay at home to raise their children but struggles with the transitions out of the work environment and confronts isolation, stress and a changing sense of self.
· A single parent who is grieving the loss of their marriage but has to hold on to support their children who have endured a life altering change to their family and are experiencing the emotions felt by the children of divorce.
· A young adult who is struggling with trying to build self confidence as they approach adulthood while being forced to confront their social anxiety or other difficulties that create obstacles between them and their future goals.
· A young adult in their mid 20’s with no direction and yet experiences the pressures of family and social expectations in an effort to not be labeled as a “failure to launch” adult; or, the parents who don’t know how to motivate their young adult child without contributing to feelings of rejection and inferiority in someone they love.
· A working adult that struggles with stress management and finding the work/life balance that will help them prevent burnout and strive to feel fulfilled and in touch with a sense of purpose.
· An adult that has experienced their first episode of a mental health disorder and does not know where to turn and who to trust with the symptoms they are experiencing.
· A parent grieving the empty nest feeling after children leave home to enter adulthood, the loss of a friend or family member, or having to take care of the estate planning and medical care of an ailing parent or child.
· A retiree that struggles with finding a definition of themselves and their purpose once their working years have ended and many of their roles in life have changed significantly due to age, health or disability.
Our combined practices work hard to bring this compassionate light to our patients and to truly engage in a thoughtful, caring connection to help bring healing to the hurting. We have seen many patients get better when they have adequate support and good access to consistent treatment. Some need medications and medical treatments while benefitting from counseling and being educated on how to make life changes to improve the way they feel. We have seen too many obstacles that get in the way of a patient’s access to quality mental health support and treatment. We are striving to break down these walls and help provide the access to care these hurting people need so they can work to improve their lives with as many resources as possible available to them.
Navigating the systems of insurance companies, pre-authorization of services, claim filing, refiling and fighting claims that are denied as well as finding a qualified provider a patient trusts and can reasonably travel to attend their appointments can be difficult even for the very educated and emotionally stable. Many patients suffering with depression, anxiety and other disorders find these challenges near impossible. Others have shared how dealing with these challenges only serves to confirm their negative thought about not being worthy of having access to the help that exists.
The following are the real world examples of obstacles patients often face when seeking treatment:
- Insurance changes and finding a quality provider that is “in network" becomes difficult. Some people have a health insurance plan that offers no mental or behavioral health coverage at all.
-Many providers for mental health have stopped accepting insurances due to low reimbursements and the paperwork load on their staff to deal with the filing of claims and “red tape” .
-Many insurance companies limit the number of sessions or services a patient can have or limit the types of services that they will cover. Many insurance companies will not fully cover services like couples counseling, family therapy, parent training and/or in home counseling or support.
-Many cannot afford their copayments or high deductibles and this often creates a financial limitation to how often they can attend their appointments.
-We have seen parents struggle in making a decision as to which of their three children will get counseling first because their $45 copayment for weekly sessions would make it impossible for all of the children to participate in individual counseling at the same time. Parents often sacrifice their own need for treatment in order to make sure their children get their medications and counseling first.
-Employers can change insurance plans and even though a patient or family has been working with a mental health professional they trust and have seen progress with; they may not be able to afford to continue if their provider is not on the new plan . This can create inconsistencies with treatment if the patient has to switch providers and a risk of relapse if they fall into gaps in the system.
-Older patients may transition to Medicare and this creates the same problem where the providers they trust may not be Medicare providers and seeking a new provider may risk their health.
We are striving to break down these walls and help those who are hurting or struggling in our community obtain access to the quality care they deserve. We are beginning this fund in an attempt to help alleviate the financial burden inherent in all of the obstacles listed above. We want to show those who are hurting they are cared for; that the helpers of the world find them worthy and want to bring hope that their lives and health can improve.
With the funds that are raised, we intend to reduce the out of pocket costs our patients experience so their access to treatment can improve and no longer be an added stressor in their current struggles. We have found patients are more invested in their treatment if they have some financial or personal investment in the process. This also helps to preserve their dignity and in promoting the self esteem that is important for a patient to own the progress they create in their treatment.
Depending on the amount we can all raise together, we hope to be able to provide either a 60:40, 70:30, 80:20 or 90:10 (charity to patient responsibility) cost sharing. Any financial contribution made to help those who are hurting know there are people who care and want to help bring a light into their dark times to illuminate a path to the health and wellness we all deserve. The page will be updated to account for where donations are going and how they are reaching those who need help accessing treatment.
We have established one office suite, where we have combined Psychiatry, Counseling and a new technology called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. This combination of services offers a wide range of treatment options that can be combined or used individually to tailor a patient’s treatment to meet their clinical needs and take into account any individual limitations like not wanting to take medications or having a history of poor response or side effects related to medications.
We would like to continue to expand our services to include other forms of holistic therapy like nutrition education, relaxation classes and low impact exercise classes. We have plans to develop wilderness experiences, seminars and retreats for individuals, couples and families; however, these services are not covered by insurance and can be costly to begin due to materials or contracting outside resources in order to bring even more forms of support to those in need. We would be honored by any contribution you would make towards these goals in helping us make access to treatment easier and expanding the types of support offered to those in need.
Michael Gambuti, MA. LPC. NCC. - Providing Individual, Couples and Family Counseling
www.fortitudepsychotherapy.com
Andrew Martin, MD - Board Certified in Adult and Child Psychiatry
www.TexasFamilyPsychiatry.com
Karol Martin and Heather Davis - TMS technicians
www.TranquilityTmsCenter.com
Our wonderful office staff Olga Huerta who treats all of our patients with kindness and seeks to find any way possible to get around the obstacles patients face to get the treatment they need.
We can all work together to bring compassionate care to all who need it and work to reduce the barriers that make accessing care difficult and bring back the simple joy we get by helping and watching others grow and learn to enjoy life again. Thank you in advance for your giving.
Organizer
Staci Gambuti
Organizer
San Antonio, TX