For Immediate Release: January 23, 2002
Contact: DMS Communications (603) 650-1492

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Maine's Governor King Announces AMHI Partnership with Dartmouth Medical School

Hanover, NH - The Augusta Mental Health Institute (AMHI) has entered into a contract with Dartmouth Medical School's Department of Psychiatry for the provision of staff psychiatrists and to gain the ability to become a teaching hospital. At his annual State of the State address last night, Governor Angus S. King, Jr. announced the partnership with Dartmouth which will result in several key benefits for AMHI and the people it serves. These include improved ability to recruit psychiatrists, nurses and other clinical staff to the hospital, the addition of research programs, electronic access to Dartmouth Medical School's library, and immediate access to educators at one of the nation's leading medical schools to facilitate and enhance training of clinical staff.

Following his address, King added that, "Together with the new Psychiatric Treatment Center, the relationship with Dartmouth Medical School marks another important advancement in the treatment of Maine citizens with mental illness." The Governor also noted the excellent score in AMHI's survey by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) early last year, "We know that the existing hospital is already providing excellent care, and this development adds to our ability to provide the best in psychiatric treatment."

Maine Department of Behavioral and Developmental Services Commissioner Lynn F. Duby is pleased with the development; "Dartmouth Medical School has an excellent track record in association with a comparable state psychiatric hospital. Dartmouth has had a similar relationship with New Hampshire's state psychiatric hospital for more than ten years and the administration of New Hampshire Hospital has reported to us that the relationship has been highly successful," said Duby. AMHI's contract with Dartmouth runs January 1, 2002, to June 30, 2003 with the option for subsequent two-year renewals after that.

Through this partnership, psychiatrists and other clinical staff at AMHI will have the opportunity to conduct applied clinical research and teach. "Given the resources and personnel of Dartmouth Medical School, the opportunity for research and training that will benefit not only AMHI, but also Maine's entire mental health services system, is substantial," said AMHI Superintendent Lisa C. Kavanaugh.

According to Dr. Peter Silberfarb, Dartmouth Medical School's Psychiatry Department Chair, one type of research Dartmouth is known for is outcomes research focusing on improved quality of life, such as developing vocational rehabilitation tools that help people with serious mental illness become reintegrated in the community. The affiliation with an academic institution is also expected to draw mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, to the hospital.

"I think there should be as much collaboration as possible among the northern states such as Maine and New Hampshire. We're all rural states and are limited in terms of professionals and resources to support needs of mental health patients," said Silberfarb. "We are very excited about this opportunity to work together with the State of Maine, and several of our graduating residents have shown interest in settling in Maine once they heard we were doing this," he said.

Dartmouth Medical School has an established presence in Maine through the Maine-Dartmouth Family Practice Residency Program in Augusta and Fairfield as well as through agreements with other practice sites throughout the state.

For More Information Contact: Katie Sanborn, Maine Department of Behavioral and Developmental Services - (207) 287-4265

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