By City Times staff

WISCONSIN RAPIDS/MARSHFIELD – A Wood County psychiatric care clinic is revamping its services to care for clients during the COVID outbreak. Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Consulting (CAPC) in Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids is introducing telepsychiatry.

“Telemedicine is the delivery of clinical care through technology, typically video conferencing,” Dr. Jenna Moravec. “When used to deliver psychiatric care, it is called telepsychiatry.   Therapists can also use this technology to provide psychotherapy to people that cannot logistically or safely get to a clinic for a face to face appointment.”

Moravec said that requirements for use of telemedicine services have been relaxed in the face of the outbreak.

“The state of Wisconsin previously required that clinics who wished to provide telemedicine services obtained certification through DHS. This is no longer required,” she said.

Patients may now remain in their homes to receive the services.

“ Insurance companies have agreed to lift their traditional ban on this, and most insurances who have had exclusions for any sort of telemedicine have lifted them during this state of emergency,” she added.

“We have found that most patients who have access to technology capable of doing video and audio streaming are able to use telemedicine for psychiatric and therapeutic interventions. Some of the therapeutic modalities do not readily adapt to online service delivery, such as Theraplay, or EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).

“Our telehealth sessions are really very similar to what takes place in an office, just with the people in the session in different locations, connected with audio and video technology.”

Moravec said that the clinic is instituting the new services to help “flatten the curve” and make their services available on another level.

“We are doing our part with helping families stay home, flattening the curve of new coronavirus infections,” she said. “At the same time, we recognize that the shelter in place order, the illness itself, and media coverage, as well as the financial impact of all of this is increasing stress, anxiety, depression, and is complicating interactive dynamics among the people sheltered together. We know that this is having a tremendous impact on people’s emotional well-being and want to do our part to help everyone cope.

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Shelley Strojny is also in the process of completing certification as a mental health integrative medicine provider. In addition to managing and prescribing psychiatry medications, she will be able to assess and treat by complementary means, including nutrition, supplements and other holistic therapies.

“We have worked to minimize in-person sessions, but there are some patients for whom this is necessary,” Moravec added.

For more information, contact 715-423-2030 in Wisconsin Rapids and 715-384-2818 in Marshfield.