OSU Harding Hospital continues to advance mental health research, education and patient care
Since 1916, when George T. Harding II, MD, founded a hospital in Worthington, Ohio, the Harding name has been synonymous with leadership in mental health care and education.
That leadership became even stronger when in 1999 Ohio State and Harding Hospital united their services for the betterment of all central Ohioans.
Today, OSU Harding Hospital offers the only academic program in central Ohio providing child, adolescent, adult and geriatric inpatient services.
Through our research and education efforts, OSU Harding Hospital staff are advancing that care for generations of patients to come.
Radu Saveanu, MD, who has led OSU Harding Hospital and Ohio State’s Department of Psychiatry for the past decade, takes particular pride in these advancements and the hospital’s expert healthcare team.
RESEARCH LEADERSHIP
Ohio State was chosen as one of only five sites in the United States – and one of only 20 in the world – to participate in a study of how a person’s genetic makeup can influence response to treatment for depression.
“We are excited about being part of this special trial that will look at every angle of depression: brain function, brain structure, cognitive and psychological function and, most importantly, genetics,” says Saveanu.
“This is evidence-based research that we hope to be able to apply to practice in the near future. This is the ultimate in personalized health care,” he adds.
This study is just one example of studies on depression and its treatment now being conducted by OSU Psychiatry faculty.
Numerous other faculty from the Department of Psychiatry and OSU Harding Hospital are advancing research and clinical care in diverse areas of mental health and behavioral medicine.
“Nationally, our faculty are garnering more and more prominence, from Jan Kiecolt-Glaser and her work on stress; Mary Fristad, who studies children who suffer from mood disorders; Gene Arnold’s work with kids who have ADHD and developmental disorders; and John Campo, who researches children who have GI disorders
along with depression and anxiety,” Saveanu explains.
INNOVATIVE CARE
In the past year, OSU Harding launched a new Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) program that serves as a resource for local community providers to address the needs of those suffering from untreated emotional trauma.
Psychological trauma, most common as a response to a major catastrophic event, can also occur after events such as car accidents, serious illness, employment loss or repeated stress at home or work.
“Very few programs exist in the Midwest, yet we see psychological trauma in central Ohio every day. Through collaboration with community partners, we want to improve the quality of life for affected individuals,” says Saveanu.
The program is planning on offering additional traumaspecific staff training in the emergency departments and surgical intensive care unit, help with patients and families in these areas, and workshops for staff and community-based service providers.
In addition to providing support and resources, the program will include research on the causes, biological and behavioral vulnerabilities and prevention and treatment approaches for psychological trauma.
PARTNERS
Saveanu says that OSU Harding staff and Department faculty are eager to forge new partnerships with other Medical Center disciplines for the benefit of patients. For example, members of Psychiatry and Cardiovascular Medicine have begun a new depression-screening program at the Ross Heart Hospital. A recognized link between depression and impaired outcomes for heart patients has led to the program that will screen each heart patient for signs of depression.
Other interdisciplinary endeavors are forthcoming. “We are looking to expand our expertise with a partnership with newly recruited neurosurgeon, Dr. Ali Rezai, and his team.
We are merging his knowledge of deep-brain stimulation with our studies on depression to evaluate how deep-brain stimulation could possibly treat this disorder,” explains Saveanu.
FUTURE GENERATIONS
To help meet the demands of care for future generations, Harding Hospital provides strong education and training programs for fellows, residents, medical students and allied health students.
Harding Hospital administrators, faculty and staff are also tackling other healthcare and economic issues that affect mental health practice today. “We hosted and started a national benchmarking conference with administrators from academic psychiatric hospitals and departments to determine best practices to survive the economic, academic and clinical challenges that affect our profession,” says Saveanu.
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