United Hospital Fund Honors Dr. Ketki Shah with its 2024 Excellence in Health Care Award

Dr. Ketki Shah sees her lifelong passion of helping those in need, and particularly those with emotional problems, as being fulfilled at BronxCare. As Chairman, Psychiatry, Dr. Shah is taking on a pivotal leadership role in addressing the high incidence of mental health and chemical dependency problems associated with BronxCare's South and Central Bronx Service Area, considered one of the poorest in the nation, with among the highest rates of mental health admissions in New York City.

Under Dr. Shah's dynamic leadership, BronxCare's Department of Psychiatry is providing more than 200,000 visits annually, offering comprehensive mental health services for adults, adolescents, and children. At the inpatient and outpatient levels, numerous programs are now in place that are improving access and achieving successful outcomes.

BronxCare is one of five hospitals in New York State to receive a Zero Suicide Grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Office of Mental Health. This grant provides patients with psychiatric screenings for suicide risk, and is contributing to reductions in high suicide rates through intensified assessment and treatment. The Department of Psychiatry is also responding to the Opioid Crisis with expanded addiction-related services targeting at-risk individuals. Its opioid treatment program offers a full range of options, including providing Opioid Overdose Kits to patients with substance use disorders.

As she looks to the future, Dr. Shah envisions "great things on the horizon" for BronxCare and further success in reducing the high mental health disparities associated with its South and Central Bronx community.