Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health grows under new leadership, focusing on filling psychiatric care gap

Lynn Brown oversaw the expansion of Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health from 35 employees to nearly 200 in less than a year.

As CEO, her vision is to continue chipping away at the mental health stigma while providing accessible psychiatric care to Northeast Pennsylvania.

“As a woman in long-term recovery myself, this is something that's very meaningful to me, personally, to be available. We also see people thrive and live well and be able to have reduced symptoms and quality life if they get the services they need,” Brown said. “We're just here to meet the need. We're here to fill the gap.”

She took over as CEO in May of 2024. The facility is currently licensed for 82 patients with 62 beds available. It has the capacity for 149 beds. While she’s eager to get operations to full capacity, she knows the process will be gradual due to staffing and training.

“There is a bit of pressure to ‘open yesterday’ and get all the beds ready to go and have the right staff,” Brown said. “We will do that, and we will meet the need, but it has to be in an appropriate timeline so we can safely do that. This is only going to continue to be a resource for the community, so we're here to stay.”

Filling the gap

Commonwealth Health Services’ (CHS) First Hospital operated out of the same building Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health is in now.

First Hospital provided both inpatient and outpatient services. CHS announced the hospital’s closure with only 30-day notice, leaving the community scrambling.

Submitted by Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health

Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health stepped in, fighting the coverage gap left by First Hospital’s closure.

“We were out in the community all the time speaking with our partners, they actually used the word devastated. We were devastated when First Hospital closed, and we know the services that they provided. And there's still that need,” Brown said.

They know that the need will continue to grow.

According to Pennsylvania’s Department of Health, the Commonwealth’s suicide rate is 14.2/ 100,000 based on data from 2016-2020. The rate is 18.2 in Luzerne County where Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health is located.

“Post COVID, mental health (care) is in a great need for this particular area as well. Our suicide rates are significant in our region,” Brown said.

First Hospital's unexpected closure had a spiral effect, impacting more than just patients.

“The closure of First Hospital created a significant gap in acute mental health services within the Greater Wyoming Valley area and surrounding communities,” Brown said. “Many patients were forced to seek treatment outside the region, making it difficult for family members to visit and support their loved ones. We hear stories every week from both providers and families telling us of their hardships due to the closure. Additionally, the closure resulted in job losses, affecting numerous individuals throughout the area.”

Robert Gowin- Collins, Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health's director of development, said it's important to acknowledge the reach of mental health issues in his line of work, which expanded the closure’s circle of impact.

“This doesn't just affect the person who's having the mental health crisis,” he said. “It affects the family. It affects the employer. It affects everyone.”

Breaking the stigma

Submitted by Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health

Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health also considers providing mental health education to the community an integral part of its operations.

“Instead of looking at it as them versus us, how can we be collaborative? How can we have an understanding that this is just a moment in time? These people are whole individuals that just need a reset,” Gowin-Collins said.

He said his work in behavioral health makes him more aware of the amount of work left to be done to break the stigma. He uses the facility’s social media as a tool to educate.

“Something that we are doing is we are proactively engaging in social media,” he said. “It's letting the community know of our services, but also additional resources. I think we've been cognizant about also targeting advertising to the greater northeast PA area, so that it may not be a loved one or a family member who has had our services, but at least they're seeing it on some platform."

Brown hopes their reputation helps people seek the help they need, regardless of the stigma.

“A patient who left me a message, and it’s just so significant. He said every patient that he saw was treated with respect and dignity, and that's why we're here, that's why we do what we do,” she said.

Families are involved in treatment and patient discharge to make sure services reach beyond just the patients treated within the facility.

“We incorporate the family into the therapy approach, where we're touching base with the family members, and we're hoping, by doing that and educating them, that they, in return, can educate others,” Gowin-Collins said.

The facility’s location makes family visits convenient. That accessibility was missing when First Hospital closed.

“We're right on that bus line. We're easily accessible to the community. Not everybody can travel up to 45 minutes,” Brown said.

Treatment eligibility 

Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health offers services to people with all levels of insurance. The facility is not geographically restricted to residents of the Wyoming Valley. They receive patient referrals from across the state, as well as from neighboring states like New York and New Jersey.

As a for-profit institution, they rely on insurance payments. Many of their patients are covered by Medicaid. Gowin-Collins looks to regional representatives to fight against potential cuts to the program.

“While a portion of our patient funding comes from Medicaid, we are confident that our local, state, and federal elected officials understand the critical role these funds play in supporting mental health care,” he said. “We trust they will recognize the potential negative impact on their constituents and make decisions that prioritize the well-being of our community.”

Tangible growth

Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health has served just under 1,000 patients since its opening in Nov. 2023.

“The fact that we were able to serve just under 1,000 patients in the short time we've been open is a testament equally to the service that is needed here locally,” said Gowin- Collins.

Submitted by Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health

Gowin- Collins also started at the facility in 2024. He spoke to the slow, but tangible growth, of the facility.

“Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health has been super intentional with our growth,” he said. “We want to make sure that we're perfecting and really serving the population and giving them the right treatment plans, the right services that they need and deserve. So as we expand, we're always looking for the people who are committed to serving that vulnerable population.”

He pointed to the opening of the direct admissions service as a milestone of the past year. The service allows patients to bypass the emergency room with direct referrals from partners. Gowin-Collins expects that one to two more units will open by the end of 2025.

Brown highlighted her staff retention efforts.

“We've also had about 30 promotions. There's some original staff that have been here from the day that it opened, so that's wonderful.”

For new staff, she offers competitive pay and benefits to reflect the difficult work of caring for people in crisis. She plans to continue hiring throughout the year as new units open.

“Beyond offering comprehensive mental health services, we strive to be a top-choice employer for professionals in the field,” she said. “We foster an environment that supports both our patients and our employees by offering adequate staffing ratios, competitive compensation, generous PTO, comprehensive benefits, wellness initiatives, continuing education units and license renewal reimbursement, as well as opportunities for career and educational development."

She’s using the growth in the admissions department as a model for new and expanding units.

“[The] admissions department had two individuals. Now we've grown that to 24/7 multiple staff, implementing a call center for the admission process. That's just one example of a department that's grown leaps and bounds and to be able to serve the community that when the referrals come in that we’re there, we're picking up the phone, we're understanding that if the patient has to come right away, that we are able to do that for them,” Brown said.

For now, Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health only provides adult psychiatric care. They hope to diversify that care to include adolescents as they look to the future.

The facility is often at full capacity. Brown is aware of the need for psychiatric care across the state, and she hopes to lead Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health to meet it.

"There's a growing need. It's not going away," Brown said.