Press Release

Kaylyn Kendall Dines
(973) 972-7276

UMDNJ Partners with Eli Lilly and Company To Launch New Program To Help Bridge the Gap Between Physical and Mental Health

"Pathways to Wellness" is first computer software program of its kind nationwide to enable mental health professionals
to help clients develop healthier lifestyle habits

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) University Behavioral HealthCare's Center for Excellence in Psychiatry today launched "Pathways to Wellness," a new program to help address the most common and often-untreated physical health problems faced by people with severe and persistent mental illness.

The first computer software application of its kind, Pathways for Wellness is designed to help mental health professionals facilitate lifestyle and behavioral changes that can improve their clients' overall physical health and wellness. Eli Lilly and Company sponsored the development of the Pathways for Wellness.

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) has stated that between five and 10 million adults in the United States have serious disabling mental conditions. "Many individuals living with severe mental illness also have co-occurring physical problems that are frequently mis-diagnosed, under-diagnosed, or under-treated," said Betty Vreeland MSN, APRN, NP-C, BC, program manager at UMDNJ University Behavioral HealthCare's Center for Excellence in Psychiatry. "Tragically, this population loses between eight and 20 years of life expectancy when compared to a non-psychiatric population.

For this reason, UMDNJ and Eli Lilly and Company have created Pathways to Wellness," she said, "the first tool of its kind designed to promote physical health and wellness in people living with severe psychiatric conditions. We are very pleased to be able to make this invaluable tool available to mental health care professionals across the nation."

A recent survey of approximately 300 mental health professionals nationwide indicated that the eight most important and under-addressed physical health concerns faced by people with severe and persistent mental illness include diabetes, obesity, substance abuse, tobacco use, hypertension, coronary heart disease, sexually transmitted diseases, and hepatitis B and C.

The Pathways to Wellness software addresses these problem areas and can be used by a broad range of non-medically and medically trained mental health professionals to facilitate a crucial dialogue about physical health and wellness with the clients they serve.

Functional aspects of the software include:

* intuitive, menu-driven screens that allow mental health care professionals and clients to collect lifestyle information that contributes to or interferes with physical wellness;

* various formats that document discussions and concerns to help clients stay on track, and provide useful information for clinicians, primary care providers and other health care professionals about client concerns;

* graphic displays to track a client's health behaviors, and risk factors and progress over time;

* educational handouts about physical health and wellness issues - a library of resources from governmental authorities including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"We are hopeful that Pathways to Wellness will help address the often overlooked physical health and wellness needs of people living with severe and persistent mental illness," said Bert van den Bergh, president, Neuroscience Products, Eli Lilly and Company. "We are very pleased to join with UMDNJ in support of this important initiative."

"The Pathways to Wellness program, developed through an alliance between UMDNJ and Eli Lilly and Company, is a wonderful example of how the public and private sectors can work together to improve patient care, with severe and persistent mental illness," said Dr. Edward Kim, medical director of adult services at UMDNJ University Behavioral HealthCare. "Many mental health professionals are uncomfortable addressing physical concerns. This program was designed to help bridge this gap between physical and mental health."

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