WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 15, 2026 – One year after helping launch an ambitious effort to transform behavioral healthcare access in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Zane Networks is supporting the next phase of the REACH-USVI Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) initiative as the program expands services, reaches new communities, and establishes a sustainable model for integrated care.
Led by the St. Thomas East End Medical Center Corporation (STEEMCC), a Federally Qualified Health Center serving St. Thomas and St. John, REACH-USVI integrates tele-behavioral health services into primary care settings to ensure patients can access mental health support where and when they need it.
As the initiative enters its next phase, services are expanding throughout St. John and planning is underway to extend tele-behavioral health support to first responders, including Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel and members of the Virgin Islands Police Department.
“From the beginning, our focus has been on building an infrastructure that not only works technically, but works for the realities of delivering care in island communities,” said Merwyn Foster Rogers, DrPH(c), Project Director at Zane Networks. “Telehealth allows people to receive care in the privacy of their own homes or other safe spaces while removing barriers that have historically limited access, including provider shortages, transportation challenges, and concerns about stigma. More importantly, we’re helping create a model that can continue long after the initial grant funding ends.”
Funded through a five-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), REACH-USVI brings evidence-based behavioral health screening, referral, and treatment support directly into STEEMCC’s primary care model.
Unlike many grant-funded pilots, partners say the initiative was designed from the outset with long-term sustainability in mind. As the program matures, services are expected to transition into established reimbursement pathways to support continued access beyond the grant period.
“I’ve seen an acceptance of behavioral health as an important part of what we do as primary care providers,” said Tess Richards, M.D., Executive Director of STEEMCC. “It is a matter of teaching everyone that this is a normal part of how you take care of yourself. We take your blood pressure and also have a behavioral health screen.”
Since launch, the initiative has delivered more than 500 behavioral health visits through a combination of in-person and telehealth services, connecting residents to counseling, depression and anxiety management, trauma and PTSD support, grief counseling, family therapy, and medication management.
For residents of St. John, where access to specialty services has historically required travel by ferry to St. Thomas, the expansion represents a meaningful shift in how care can be delivered — bringing behavioral health support closer to home while reducing barriers to care.
STEEMCC patient Althea Ruffin said the tele-behavioral health services made a meaningful difference after she sought support for anxiety attacks through her primary care provider. Ruffin was referred to Dr. Sherlonda Adkins, who taught her breathing techniques and other anxiety management tools.
“Dr. Adkins is very calming, understanding and helpful. It made a complete difference in the way I communicate and manage my anxiety,” Ruffin said. “I’m from a generation where you solved your problems by yourself. You hold it in until you feel like you’re about to explode. But when you have someone who can listen and help you through those times, it means a lot.”
The initiative also incorporates community outreach through STEEMCC’s Wellness Without Walls program, bringing health screenings, education, and behavioral health resources directly into neighborhoods throughout the territory.
“As someone who works alongside our community every day, I have seen firsthand the barriers that have kept behavioral healthcare out of reach for so many people,” said Tesha Tyson, MSW, Lead Case Manager and REACH-USVI Initiative Grant Champion. “By embedding behavioral health into primary care and meeting people where they are, we are restoring the dignity and wholeness our community deserves.”
In partnership with STEEMCC, Schneider Regional Medical Center, and the Howard University Tele-pharmacy and Population Health Center, Zane Networks has helped operationalize a model designed not only to address immediate behavioral health needs, but also to create a framework other healthcare organizations can adapt to serve rural, underserved, and geographically isolated populations.
“This isn’t simply about deploying technology,” Rogers said. “It’s about creating sustainable systems of care that improve access, strengthen communities, and can be replicated wherever people face obstacles to getting the behavioral health services they need.”
About Zane Networks
Zane Networks is a Washington, D.C.-based health information technology and consulting firm specializing in health quality improvement, data analysis, digital health technology, telehealth, and practice transformation. The company partners with healthcare organizations, government agencies, and community providers to implement innovative solutions that improve care delivery, strengthen operations, and improve patient outcomes.
Founded in 2000, Zane Networks is certified as a Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB/EDWOSB), and is also certified as a Washington D.C. CBE and Maryland MBE company. For more information, visit zanenetworks.com.
About STEEMCC
The St. Thomas East End Medical Center Corporation (STEEMCC) is a private, non-profit, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving the St. Thomas-St. John district, U.S. Virgin Islands. STEEMCC provides comprehensive, high-quality, accessible and affordable primary healthcare services, including patient education, community outreach, and research. For more information, visit www.steemcc.org.
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Media Contacts:
Dave Anderson
Anderson Interactive
770-401-1044
dave@andersoni.com
Sara Kirkpatrick
St. Thomas East End Medical Center Corporation
307-343-0234
Skirkpatrick@steemcc.org
