New Beginnings in Massac County, Illinois, has relocated outside of the hospital, allowing the IOP to continue services to current patients and accept new patients. Patients’ temperatures are taken in their car. Only one patient at a time may enter. By scheduling them an hour and a half apart, we are able to see eight to nine patients a day. Our caseload of 14 patients is grateful we have been able to continue their therapy services. We offer individual sessions, face-to-face, as well as telehealth, phone calls, and curbside therapy services.
Most patients want to be seen in person and are willing to attend an additional session with telehealth. Curbside therapy is available for those who do not have privacy at home but do not want to come inside. It has been rewarding to see how well our patients have adjusted and how willing they are to continue to work on improving their emotional and mental health. We are grateful our hospital administration understood the urgency and flexibility we needed to keep our services going.