CHI Health is Reimagining Care, Reducing Addiction Risk

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and CHI Health is spotlighting a groundbreaking effort to improve psychiatric care and reduce addiction risks. A clinical initiative first launched at CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs is now expanding across the region, changing how providers treat anxiety, trauma-related symptoms and pain.

Instead of relying on potentially addictive medications like benzodiazepines and opioids, CHI Health providers are turning to safer, non-addictive alternatives, a shift that’s already showing major results.

“This started as a change in our everyday clinical practice,” said Dr. Harmit Singh, Chair of Psychiatry at CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs. “We were seeing the harm caused by these medications and knew there were better, safer options.”

Over the past six years, Dr. Singh and his team gradually changed prescribing habits, offering medications like hydroxyzine, BuSpar, prazosin, propranolol, clonidine, and gabapentin, which are all effective but with less risk of long-term dependence. The reason they aren’t commonly prescribed is because they don’t have the quick-relief appeal of benzodiazepines.

A turning point came in 2021, when use of non-addictive medications surpassed that of benzodiazepines and opioids in the Council Bluffs unit, a trend that has only grown since.

Patients were involved in their care decisions, and treatments were personalized to fit individual needs. For instance, someone with PTSD and high blood pressure might receive prazosin or clonidine, which address both high blood pressure and the emotional symptoms of PTSD.

Dr. Singh, working with CHI Health’s pharmacy team, tracked prescribing trends over six years and confirmed a sustained shift in care. Now, he’s collaborating with Dr. Arun Sharma and Dr. Rajesh Tampi, who lead behavioral health services across the CHI Health system – the region’s largest behavioral health provider.

To further support addiction reduction efforts, CHI Health has also hired two addiction psychiatrists, who will offer specialized care via telehealth.

“This has truly been a team effort,” Dr. Singh said. “We’re proud to offer a safer, more thoughtful approach, and we’re excited to bring it to more patients across our communities.”