Florence, S.C.-based McLeod Regional Medical Center opened a pediatric behavioral health crisis stabilization unit for children experiencing psychiatric emergencies.
The new pediatric EmPATH — emergency psychiatric assessment, treatment and healing — unit includes 15 beds and is housed within McLeod Children’s Hospital. The program is designed to provide rapid psychiatric evaluation and short-term treatment for pediatric patients in a dedicated care environment, according to a June 24 news release from the center.
The hospital was one of 13 South Carolina hospitals selected to receive funding from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services to establish hospital-based behavioral health emergency units.
The hospital said the goal is to stabilize patients during the first 72 hours of care, allowing some children to transition to outpatient treatment rather than requiring admission to an inpatient psychiatric facility. The pediatric ICU also maintains around-the-clock coverage from both a pediatric intensivist and a pediatric hospitalist.
The EmPATH care model has been associated with shorter emergency department stays, fewer inpatient psychiatric admissions and higher rates of follow-up care, according to the release.
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