Personalizing Psychiatric Care: A Window into Life with Schizophrenia

The long-term affiliation between UC Irvine and the John Henry Foundation helps psychiatry medical residents better understand adults living with schizophrenia, enhancing their training through transformative human-centered care.

For more than a dozen years, psychiatry residents from the UC Irvine School of Medicine have joined the “family” at the John Henry Foundation, a cozy little community in Santa Ana providing long-term residential care for adults living with schizophrenia.

“We really are a family, and it’s wonderful for the psychiatry residents to experience our comprehensive program, where residents, staff and clinicians work together to help our clients realize their full potential,” says Executive Director Mindy Andrews. “It’s an incredible window into this population you just don’t get otherwise.”

As one of UC Irvine’s residency clinical sites, the John Henry Foundation provides psychiatry residents with tremendous insight into this unique disorder affecting roughly 3.7 million adults in the U.S.

“One of the most important roles we play is decreasing the stigma of schizophrenia,” says Rimal Bera, MD, a clinical professor of psychiatry at UC Irvine who serves as the medical director at the John Henry Foundation. “When you get to know more about these individuals and their aspirations, it really changes your views. We can help people have a higher quality of life.”

Transformative Training & Care

The John Henry Foundation has been providing care since 1989. It currently supports 42 clients, ranging in age and interests and living together in brightly colored yellow bungalows. The property — tucked away behind trees and lush vegetation on a large lot in a residential neighborhood — is warm and inviting, as are the clients who call this place home.

“We know that more than medications, there’s a psychosocial piece,” says Bera, who was first introduced to the John Henry Foundation during his own residency training through UC Irvine in the early 1990s. Fostering stability built on trust, the John Henry campus offers an environment where people can thrive. “We also get out in the community often, so our clients can be a part of the fabric of the world around them,” says Andrews.

Trust and human connection are critical to helping these clients reach their full potential. “It’s not the traditional doctor-patient relationship,” says Bera. “We’re talking about what’s going on in life. They’re teaching me and making me a better person, too.”

The long-term affiliation between UC Irvine and the John Henry Foundation lets Bera share this nontraditional model with others.

“Working at John Henry was such a special experience,” says Jericha Viduya, MD, who completed her residency in psychiatry through the UCI Health - Orange and spent two years at the John Henry Foundation. She currently works for Riverside County in an outpatient setting, dividing her time between a Federally Qualified Health Center and a care clinic that includes a full-service partnership program.

“John Henry gave me a firsthand look at the human side of patient care,” says Viduya, who ran weekly groups, ranging from workshops on coping with psychosis to lighthearted activities such as charades. She also participated in a few community outings, including paddle boating at Irvine Regional Park. What stayed with her most was sharing in people’s struggles and successes.

“Seeing their day-to-day experiences, unique personalities and social interactions illustrated to me that treatment isn’t just about managing symptoms,” she says, “but about supporting people in living full, meaningful lives.”

Seeing clients in a more relaxed setting helps residents connect with a population that has difficulty accepting treatment. “The clients are at home; the psychiatrist comes to them,” says Andrews. “This lets the residents really get to know individuals living with schizophrenia in a way you just can’t in a lot of clinical settings.” The approach at John Henry is to meet the clients where they are, which helps them build trust with their providers and results in positive outcomes in terms of treatment compliance and stability.

“People living with schizophrenia are often misunderstood and underserved. Through this affiliation, the residents better understand our population and the tools we use to help them thrive,” says Andrews. “Our clients are better served because of it, and the residents are going to be better psychiatrists because of it. It’s a win all around.”

Expanding the Impact

Andrews also highlights how the residency program allows the John Henry Foundation to expand its reach. “As a training site for psychiatric residents, our small nonprofit has now touched hundreds if not thousands of individuals living with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, individuals we otherwise would never reach,” she says. “Through this affiliation, our impact has been immense.”

Viduya exemplifies this perspective. “My time at John Henry has helped shape how I approach patient care in my own practice,” she says. “In addition to medication management, I try to highlight the importance of structure, social connection and staying engaged in meaningful activities.”

The John Henry Foundation is also expanding its reach thanks to a recent $850,000 Build OC grant from the Samueli Foundation. “This is a transformational gift,” says Bera. The grant is funding the development of six ADA-accessible units to allow adults with schizophrenia to age in place. This in turn opens new spots for six of the 85 people currently on a waiting list for the John Henry campus. The funding will also be used to create a new care center with additional therapy space.

These types of affiliations and funding are crucial in supporting and showcasing the success of the John Henry Foundation.

“If a program like this could be replicated, the cost savings to society would be immense,” says Bera. Schizophrenia is expensive in terms of lost wages, hospitalizations, homelessness, incarceration, caretaker burden, and so on. “Part of our responsibility is educating legislators and decision makers about why it makes good economic sense to invest in programs like this.”

Andrews agrees. “Unfortunately, the lack of care and support for our population creates this situation where emergencies recur again and again, involving EMTs, police at times, hospitalizations and homelessness,” she says. “There has got to be a better path; that’s what we’re exemplifying here at the John Henry Foundation.”