ForeFront Telecare Announces Strategic Partnership with Telemental Health Institute

EMERYVILLE, CA, April 25, 2012 (Press-News.org) Today Forefront TeleCare, Inc. a national telehealth technology and service company, announced a strategic partnership with the Telemental Health Institute, Inc., a national provider of professional training for telehealth, telemental health, and online therapy. Under the agreement, Forefront and TeleMental Health Institute will refer mental health professionals to each other's business to mutually stimulate client growth.

The TeleMental Health Institute, Inc. is the leading online telemental health training institute, devoted exclusively to addressing the emerging opportunities and challenges of telepsychiatry, telepsychology, online counseling, online therapy and coaching. Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D., Executive Director of Telemental Health Institute, is a clinical psychologist licensed in San Diego, California and considered by many to be a leading national expert in behavioral telehealth. She is author and co-author of several books on telehealth and telemedicine including the definitive, The Mental Health Professional and the New Technologies: A Handbook for Practice Today (2004).

Forefront Telecare offers an Internet based, audio/video telehealth system that allows psychiatrists and other behavioral health specialists to connect remotely with underserved patients mainly in rural areas. Merritt Widen, CEO of Forefront, is a veteran of the telecare industry starting 10 years ago in remotely connecting senior care facilities to their families. Forefront has grown to be the largest national provider specific to behavioral telehealth services.

"We are excited about the prospects of our new partnership," says Maheu. "Forefront has a valuable service that our newly trained clinicians can plug into." A large segment of Telemental Health Institute's curriculum is aimed at teaching psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals the nuances of delivering quality behavioral care via telehealth.

Forefront CEO Widen was equally positive on the partnership. "Telemental Health Institute's programs provide extraordinarily valuable training to the clinicians using our telehealth system, ForefrontConnect. We couldn't be happier about the synergy created in our partnership," he said. Under the strategic partnership, Telemental Health Institute's graduates will be referred to Forefront Telecare as a potential service provider to implement the telehealth strategies that the Institute teaches.

ForefrontConnectsm refers to Forefront TeleCare's proprietary system of Internet based audio/video equipment and accompanying support network that provides remote, end-to-end connectivity between behavioral care specialists and patients. Forefront's system is installed in Skilled Nursing Facilities, Rural Health Clinics, and other rural health centers where behavioral specialists are seen and heard remotely by patients on a system configured large screen television. Behavioral specialists connect remotely to the system from any secure internet connection, with a configured computer and web camera, providing them flexibility to serve patients from virtually any location.

Telemental Health Institute offers a diverse on-line curriculum in behavioral telehealth ranging from webinars and individual courses offering continuing education (CEs) credit, to a full certificate program. The curriculum is offered to mental health professionals via Internet based classes taught by licensed medical doctors and clinical psychologists. The certificate program offers mental health professionals a 12 course curriculum in a variety of telehealth topics with graduates receiving the title of "Certified Telehealth Practitioner."

Forefront TeleCare is a full service, national telemedicine technology and service provider to the behavioral care industry. Forefront provides secure, HIPAA compliant, end-to-end video-based behavioral telehealth service that connects practitioners to Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers and rural skilled nursing facilities in 11 states. Forefront Telecare's proprietary technology allows behavioral specialists to securely connect to patients in rural areas via video conferencing.

For more information on Forefront TeleCare see http://forefronttelecare.com. For more information on Telemental Health Institute see http://telehealth.org.