![[In The Media] Compass Health Center Increases Access to Mental Health Programs by Becoming In-Network with CareFirst BCBS, supporting members throughout Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia](https://21203846.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21203846/Carefirst%20%282%29.png)
More residents in the region will now have access to psychiatry and mental health services through Compass Health Center, now covered by CareFirst BCBS
SILVER SPRING, MD, August 5, 2024 – Compass Health Center is proud to announce that they are now in-network with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS). This relationship will increase access for CareFirst commercial members to essential mental health resources and specialists across the region and provide immediate behavioral health services for CareFirst members across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia.
Like much of the country, Maryland is in crisis, with roughly 838,000 Marylanders aged 12 and up struggling with a mental health condition. Maryland has some of the nation’s longest emergency room wait times, averaging four hours for medical needs and even days for mental health challenges. What’s more, Marylanders suffer from extended waiting periods for psychiatric services with children, adolescents and adults in crisis often left waiting for services. Compass Health Center helps meet the need for immediate access to care.
"We are thrilled to partner with CareFirst BCBS to provide immediate access to care for its members,” David Schreiber, MD, Co-Founder and CEO of Compass Health Center says. “Collaborating with CareFirst in Maryland will unlock more opportunities for residents of the state to get the care and support they need when they need it. "
"The integration of Compass Health Center into CareFirst's network is an important step towards addressing the needs in our region,” Denise Evans, President of the NAMI MD Board of Directors, says. “It signifies a commitment to improving mental health outcomes and supporting people living with mental health conditions on their journey to wellness with immediate access to care."
Compass Health Center, one of the largest providers of behavioral and mental health care in Illinois, opened its doors in Silver Spring, Maryland in September of 2023, serving adolescents, young adults, and adults in-person and virtually across the state with access to a variety of specialties including psychiatry care, trauma recovery and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder care, among others. With the opening of the new center came 100 new jobs for Marylanders, and as they approach their one-year anniversary, they will have served close to 500 patients
CareFirst is the largest healthcare insurer in the Mid-Atlantic region, serving 3.5 million members and employing over 9,500 employees and contractors. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in addressing the mental health crisis.
For more information about Compass Health Center and its services, please visit compasshealthcenter.net.
For media inquiries, please contact Lauren Zelt at laurenzelt@rational360.com.
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About Compass Health Center:
Compass Health Center provides immediate access to specialized, age-based mental health care for children, teens, young adults, and adults who need more than traditional outpatient therapy while avoiding unnecessary emergency room visits or inpatient hospitalizations. Intermediate care, such as Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) programs, often serve as the solution for an individual or family in crisis without the need to enter an emergency room. Our multi-disciplinary approach includes psychiatry, group, family, and individual therapy, medication management and specialty care to treat a range of diagnoses including depression, anxiety, trauma, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, PTSD, school anxiety, mental health, pain and illness, screen dependency and co-occurring substance use. We offer flexible hours and in-person as well as virtual program options. With a rich history of collaboration with families, doctors, clinicians, schools, employers, health plans, and community members, our approach offers a comprehensive, evidence-based treatment model firmly rooted in positive health outcomes for our patients. Compass Health Center has programming in Illinois, Maryland, and Virginia, with plans to expand to Wisconsin and Minnesota later this year. We are contracted with most commercial insurers with some variation by location.
