Healing and Opportunities with Psychotic Experiences (HOPE) Program

By Amanda Jepson | Categories: | Comments Off on Healing and Opportunities with Psychotic Experiences (HOPE) Program

About 100,000 people in the United States each year experience a psychotic episode. Longer durations of untreated psychosis correlate with more severe symptoms, including less likelihood of remission and poorer vocational, academic, and social functioning. Hennepin Healthcare’s Healing and Opportunities with Psychotic Experiences (HOPE) Program provides early intervention for patients ages 15 to 40 experiencing an illness on the schizophrenia spectrum. 

HOPE launched in 2016 through a federal mental health block grant. Program staff educate and collaborate with local organizations to provide referrals. An interdisciplinary team comprising a director, psychiatrists, nurse, individual and family psychotherapists, employment and education specialists, peer and family support specialists, and a psychiatric case worker provides empirically based treatment. Patients set treatment goals and participate in HOPE programming for an average of 18 months. Employment and education specialists collaborate with schools to build accommodations for HOPE patients. Since 2017, staff have taught local law enforcement agencies about psychosis and de-escalation techniques. Staff also developed educational materials for patients and families on safely managing crises in the community. 

Since 2016, HOPE has treated 329 patients. Reduction in symptom severity from time of enrollment to time of discharge increased from 60 percent in 2021 to 65 percent in 2023. Planned discharges increased from 60 percent of total caseload in 2020 to 79.3 percent in 2023. From 2017 to 2023, patients involved in work and/or school activities increased from 47 to 63 percent, and representation of people of color in the program increased from 55 percent to 76 percent.