NYC START: A New Model for Securing Community Services for Individuals Hospitalized for First-Episode Psychosis.

Objective: The New York City (NYC) Board of Health amended the city's health code to require hospitals to report to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene when individuals ages 18-30 are hospitalized for first-episode psychosis (FEP). This study examined the implementation of NYC START, a program that meets patients hospitalized with FEP to offer a voluntary, 3-month critical time intervention provided by social workers and peer specialists to connect individuals to appropriate community mental health services after discharge.

Methods: Service logs completed by program staff were summarized to determine the mean number of contacts received per client per week, types of services provided by social workers and peer specialists, survival analyses of time to discharge from NYC START, and connection rates with community mental health services.