RUHS-BH and the CalMHSA Help@Hand A4i Pilot Extension
A4i is proud to announce the extension of the Help@Hand A4i pilot program with Riverside University Health System – Behavioral Health. The pilot program utilizes A4i to support clients, care team staff and clinicians in their effort to engage, learn and enable mental health services for those experiencing and/or at-risk for institutionalization, homelessness, incarceration, or psychiatric in-patient services. Based on the success of the first 6 months of the pilot, Riverside and CalMHSA have extended the pilot by 1 year.
We are excited to continue the learnings, collaboration and enhancements to A4i that help provide support, isolation reduction and increase provider, pilot participant and peer engagement. We are already seeing A4i add significant value in our pilot program
Maria Martha Moreno, Research & Technology/Help@Hand Program Manager at Riverside University Health System – Behavioral Health.
The burden of Schizophrenia accounts for immense risks in premature mortality, co-occuring mental and physical health conditions and both direct and indirect costs related to care, criminal justice and social services. Effective treatments are hampered by illness complexity and complicated by issues such as medication adherence difficulties, social isolation, and cognitive challenges. This pilot continues to analyze the extent to which individuals with schizophrenia spectrum or other psychoses are able to efficiently utilize and benefit from the features of A4i. The 1 year expansion extends the 6-month pilot based on a phased rolled out across three county areas for three age groups. This project will be used to help inform considerations for a wider deployment in Riverside County.
A4i consists of a mobile platform for patients with schizophrenia and other psychoses with evidence-based and peer-to-peer content and features, such as appointment and medication reminders, daily check-ins, and goals tracking. The Care Team also have access to a clinical portal to coordinate and engage clients with dynamic risk flagging and client wellness indicators. A4i continues intensive clinical, engagement and adoption testing since 2018 and has, to date, demonstrated strong user and Care Team engagement and promising indications including adherence to treatment, personal recovery, clinical symptom reduction and improved engagement between clients and Care Team Members.
About Help@Hand:
Help@Hand is a California City and County Collaborative created to determine if and how technology fits within the behavioral health system of care. California is leading the way in finding innovative solutions to bring technology into our behavioral health system of care. Consistent with the pioneering spirit California is known for, this collaborative is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future and improve accessibility and outcomes to meet the needs of people across the state. Innovative digital applications on smartphones and other mobile devices can empower consumers by engaging them as full partners in their behavioral health care, supporting self-care, and offering access to people who face barriers in working with a face-to-face provider.
The vision of the Help@Hand Collaborative is to save lives and improve the wellbeing of Californians by integrating promising technologies and lived experiences to open doors to mental health support and wellbeing.
About A4i:
Addressing complexities in recovery with complex mental health concerns, A4i (The App4Independence) is a patent pending, validated, digital therapeutic with a regulatory pathway. A4i is a platform mobile application and portal/EMR integration currently focused on psychosis spectrum illnesses. Co-designed with clients, clinicians and peer mentors to support, reduce isolation and predict likelihood of relapse in complex behavioural health, A4i’s pipeline addresses addictions and other complex behavioural health challenges. A joint venture between Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and MEMOTEXT digital therapeutics platform, A4i has secured early pilots across North America and has deep expertise in mental and digital health.