Atlanta-based Grady Memorial Hospital opened a "med-psych" unit that is the first of its kind in Georgia, NBC affiliate WXIA reported Oct. 23.
The 16-bed facility has the capability to treat both medical needs and psychiatric needs, according to the report. The unit is equipped like others at Grady, but is also tailored to take into consideration the risk of those experiencing a mental health crisis, such as weighted chairs.
"The team is co-trained, medical and psychiatric, and so [patients] will have a shorter length of stay," Grady's vice president of behavioral health, Anne Hernandez, told the news outlet. "We’ll have a more comprehensive treatment team and be able to meet those needs in one place."
There are only a handful of similar units across the country, according to the report. The unit was made possible in part by state funding.