Mentavi Health Partnering with Colleges, Universities to Help Students with Mental Health Services  

The leader in mental assessments is helping institutions that have limited resources and are outsourcing mental health assessments for ADHD, anxiety and depression to off-campus providers

As colleges and universities deal with budget constraints, Mentavi Health, which pioneered telehealth services through ADHD Online, is partnering with the institutions' student health centers to provide mental health services and help all students succeed academically. 

As mental health care becomes better understood, higher education institutions are facing a growing demand for mental health services from students with ADHD, anxiety, depression and other issues. That increased demand comes when financial resources are more limited, forcing student health services to outsource mental health assessments - often with wait times of six to nine months for in-person appointments. That can mean students are unable to receive diagnoses and begin treatments until the next semester or even the next academic year, placing their academic success in jeopardy.

By working with Mentavi Health, colleges and universities have a way to connect students with timely and cost-effective diagnoses and treatments. We partner closely with the care team within the student health centers at our partner institutions. On many campuses, we are happy to complete assessments and render diagnoses and then refer students back to the colleges' health services to develop proper treatment plans based on our findings," said Tim Gutwald, Vice President of Business Outreach at Mentavi Health.  "This way, the institution can maintain control over how medications are being prescribed and administered on campus, and the student can minimize their out-of-pocket costs for appropriate medical treatment.

Working with Mentavi provides other benefits for both students and institutions.  Students with untreated ADHD are three times more likely to drop out before they graduate. Colleges understand that neurodiverse students contribute to the campus environment and can be incredibly successful if given the proper support. As colleges seek to attract those students, Mentavi can help them provide the accommodations students need for success. Mentavi's "Smart Assessment" is being used by multiple colleges within their classroom accommodation process. 

Mentavi's expert assessments can be crucial for students' health. Students often exhibit symptoms that sound like ADHD but also sound like anxiety or depression. It requires a clinical expert to help identify which of these highly related conditions is affecting a student, and a proper treatment plan must consider the source of the symptoms to be effective. 

A simple six-question survey that looks like it comes out of a magazine will not give a psychologist enough information to make this determination," Gutwald said. "Our Smart Assessment is designed to draw out more details to ensure our psychologists can identify what conditions are involved. We want it to be simple and easy, but we think it should take longer to complete a mental health assessment than it takes to order a burrito online.

Mentavi strikes a necessary balance with its clinician-designed Smart Assessment system: It is easy to complete, and Mentavi delivers results based on the sound clinical evaluation by its licensed psychologists in days instead of weeks or months. Mentavi also helps students access mental health care by making assessments, diagnosis and treatment affordable. "Traditional off-campus assessments may cost thousands of dollars, even after any health insurance contributions," Gutwald said. 

"In general, the cost of our Smart Assessment is extremely competitive compared to the out-of-pocket costs incurred by students who are covered by their school's student health plans," Gutwald said. Mentavi also addressed many issues that colleges and universities struggle to manage. First, its diagnoses for ADHD, anxiety, and depression stand up to clinical scrutiny, because they are evaluated by a licensed mental health professional and based on clinical frameworks.

Mentavi's process also is developed with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) considerations, such as whether assessment language penalizes some populations, and whether the summary report and communication consider the diverse backgrounds and specialized needs of the entire student population. Universities' athletic departments are using Mentavi's Smart Assessment to document a valid diagnosis of a condition that may require a student-athlete to take a medication that could otherwise disqualify them from competition under NCAA guidelines.  

Colleges also are concerned about the introduction and proper use of certain prescription medications on campus. Mentavi's assessments can reduce risks of medication diversion and improper use of prescribed substances. 

"With Mentavi's assessment, the institution can maintain control over how medications are being prescribed and administered, and the student can minimize their out-of-pocket costs for appropriate medical treatment," Gutwald said. "Mentavi is proving to be an effective partner for higher education, both in holding down costs and in ensuring that all students have their best chance for success." 

Published on : 10th January, 2024