High Plains Mental Health Center is pleased to announce the addition of two new psychiatric service providers who will be available to see Northwest Kansas patients close to home. The two additional providers, who will see patients via Telemedicine, join our existing full-time and local medical staff: Dr. Virginia Patriarca, Dr. Mark Romereim, Jamie Malone, APRN, and Joseph Mindrup, APRN.
The additional psychiatric service providers are Cheryl Gore, APRN, and Kelsey Daugherty, DNP. They have begun seeing patients in High Plains’ 20-county service area via Telemedicine units in six service locations: Hays, Colby, Goodland, Osborne, Norton and Phillipsburg through a new partnership between High Plains and InnovaTel TelePsychiatry.
Cheryl Gore is a nationally certified APRN specializing in psychiatry. She completed her bachelor’s of science degree in nursing from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and then earned her Master of Science in nursing at Western Kentucky University. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Clinical Psychology. She has completed specialized training in several areas of study, including autism, suicide prevention, chemical dependency, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and telemedicine. Over the past 24 years, she has held several positions in the behavioral health field, working with patients of all ages.
Kelsey Daugherty holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University ofMissouri, Kansas City. She has experience working with children, adolescents and young adults both in-person and through Telemedicine platforms. The majority of her career has been spent in the outpatient setting working as the sole prescriber in a large private practice alongside therapists of varying specialties. Kelsey values having a close, collaborative relationship with the clinicians and specialists with whom she shares patients and fosters these relationships to provide a truly integrated service.
“The additional psychiatric providers will be an important addition to our medical team, allowing us to expand medical access for our patients and reduce wait times. We are glad to welcome them to our team of local service providers,” Executive Director Walt Hill said. “Our staff has been working diligently to offer new patients same-day access to mental health services. We take our mission to provide quality health care to our communities very seriously and are always working to make mental health services more accessible and patient-friendly.”
High Plains has identified rapid access to mental health services as a high priority and is proud to offer same-day access to new patients. Telepsychiatry services are traditional services provided over a secure connection between two computers. The experience will be similar to a traditional office visit in many ways: Patients will be greeted by a nurse and will be able to communicate directly with their medical providers. Any prescriptions resulting from Telemedicine appointments can be filled at local pharmacies. High Plains Mental Health Center is proud to have been an early adopter of Telemedicine services, providing more than 50 service sites throughout Northwest Kansas over the past 15 years. High Plains also offers a sliding fee scale for qualifying patients, and patients are not refused services if unable to pay. Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance policies are also accepted at High Plains.
“Our motto is we’re here for you, and we take that to heart. We want our communities to know it is OK not to be OK – there should not be any shame or negative stigma associated with seeking care at local facilities,” Hill said. “Mental health care is health care. There is always hope, and there is help.”
Locally owned and operated since 1964, High Plains employs approximately 140 staff members throughout its 20-county service area in Northwest Kansas. With a main office building in Hays, High Plains also has full-time Branch Offices in Colby, Goodland, Norton, Osborne and Phillipsburg, in addition to community outreach offices in 14 counties. Other specialized services include Schwaller Crisis Center, a 24-hour crisis hotline and community-based support services for adults and youth. To learn more about High Plains Mental Health Center, visit www.hpmhc.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
High Plains Mental Health Center is a licensed community mental health center dedicated to the aggressive pursuit of providing a comprehensive mental health program to the residents of Northwest Kansas. Embodied in this pursuit are fundamental principles of establishing quality services as close to home as possible, at an affordable fee, and delivered in the least disruptive manner available. Such services will offer a continuum of care so that treatment can be individualized, and our staff can respond quickly and compassionately to those reaching out to us.