How 3 Connecticut hospitals responded to rising psychiatric ED demand 

Connecticut hospitals are expanding behavioral health emergency services with new dedicated treatment units designed to reduce emergency department boarding and improve access to crisis care for adults and children, according to a July 29 report from the Hartford Courant.

The efforts come as hospitals report rising demand for psychiatric emergency services and longer waits for inpatient behavioral health beds. Derby, Conn.-based Griffin Health, Stamford (Conn.) Health and Yale New Haven (Conn.) Children’s Hospital have recently opened or are preparing to open specialized units that offer short-term stabilization and connections to outpatient care.

Here are three things to know:

1. Three hospitals are launching specialized behavioral health units. Griffin Health fully opened its 12-person Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing (EmPATH) unit in January after a soft launch in October. Stamford Health and Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital are slated to open pediatric behavioral health emergency units in August.
   
   
2. The units aim to reduce emergency department boarding. Griffin Health said psychiatric emergency visits have increased 50% since 2019, and its EmPATH unit is designed to stabilize patients within 12-48 hours before connecting them with outpatient mental health services. Stamford Health’s unit will also use the EmPATH model and provide follow-up care for up to 12 weeks after discharge. Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital’s Crisis Intervention Center is expected to serve about 1,500 patients annually.
   
   
3. The projects were backed by public and private funding. Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital’s $4.6 million Crisis Intervention Center was funded through grants from the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Department of Children and Families. Stamford Health’s $2.7 million pediatric behavioral health emergency unit was funded primarily through private donations. Griffin Health declined to disclose the cost of its EmPATH unit.

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