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UPMC’s Inpatient Child and Adolescent Bipolar Services Program Receives National Honor for Technology Efforts

PITTSBURGH, April 27, 2015 – The Inpatient Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services (IN-CABS) program, part of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC, has received a National Council for Behavioral Healthcare 2015 Impact Award for excellence in health information technology. The award, presented at the National Council Conference in Orlando last week, recognizes IN-CABS for incorporating technology into assessment, intervention and treatment approaches that promote recovery of children and adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders.
 
Each year, the National Council’s Impact Awards specifically recognize excellence in delivering treatment and community support to individuals with mental illness and addiction disorders.
 
“We are honored to receive this prestigious award and grateful for the attention on children and adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders,” said Rasim Somer Diler, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and medical director of inpatient child and adolescent bipolar services. “The condition causes symptoms of recurrent mood swings between depression and mania, and is linked with an increased risk for suicide, hospitalizations, school and legal problems. One of IN-CABS’ primary goals is to incorporate technology to be better able to identify, diagnose and treat this extremely debilitating disorder.”
 
The program uses technology in a variety of ways, including a quality project funded by the Beckwith Institute’s Clinical Transformation Program to help adolescents track their mood and energy daily through an electronic monitoring program, which in turn fosters mutual decision making among children, parents and clinicians about best treatment interventions. IN-CABS employs wrist-band devices to measure daily activity levels and sleep, and students and professionals receive training in how to blend health information technology with assessments, pharmacological treatment and psychosocial interventions.
 
IN-CABS, an integrated acute care program that bridges clinical innovation with evidence-based practices in the hospital, was established five years ago and has served more than 400 individuals. It is the nation’s first inpatient facility for diagnosing and treating bipolar spectrum disorders in adolescents, aimed at facilitating early identification and treatment of bipolar spectrum disorders in adolescents starting with their initial visit to WPIC’s emergency department.
 
In addition to recognizing the innovative care and educational services provided by the IN-CABS faculty and staff, the Impact Award also provides a cash prize that will be donated to a nonprofit organization chosen by the winner. 
 
The Impact Award is the latest in a series of six awards bestowed on the IN-CABS program, in light of its dedication to serving children with bipolar disorder, including the innovation in mental health award in 2013 from the Pennsylvania Rehabilitation and Providers Association.

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