Health systems are pouring capital, staff and new programs into outpatient behavioral health, and the numbers explain why. Demand is growing far faster than population trends alone would predict, and the gap between requests for care and available appointments is…
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Syracuse, N.Y.-based Upstate University Hospital opened the Kimberly and John Mezzalingua Pediatric Behavioral Health After Hours Center to provide an alternative to the emergency department for children and adolescents experiencing acute emotional or behavioral distress that does not require emergency…
Florida had the most facilities flagged worse than the national psychiatric readmission rate, with 19 — nearly two and a half times California’s total, the next-highest state, according to data from CMS. The agency’s Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Quality Reporting Program,…
Behavioral health patients often wait longer than other emergency department patients for a bed. Along the way, patients may end up receiving care in the most expensive setting available, or experiencing distress in an often-hectic environment. Now, health systems are…
Behavioral health-related emergency department visits among Capital Blue Cross members dropped 9% in 2025 versus the 2022 to 2024 average, according to an Aug. 17 report from the insurer. The improvement was even sharper for members who got care sooner…
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The number of designated mental health professional shortage areas increased from 6,418 in 2024 to 6,807 as of Dec. 31, while the estimated number of practitioners needed to eliminate those shortages rose from about 6,200 to 6,800. In response to…
Nevada wildfires force hospital closure, evacuations of behavioral health patients: 5 things to know
A fast-moving wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills has forced two Northern Nevada Health System facilities in the Reno, Nev., area to evacuate patients and close, according to CBS News and The New York Times. Here are five things to know: 1. The…
An individual experiencing a behavioral health crisis walks into the emergency department. Instead of lying on a gurney in the hallway or sitting in a chaotic waiting room, they’re led to a recliner chair in a calm environment and seen…
Connecticut invested more than $4 million in opioid settlement funds into the development of mobile methadone units aimed at expanding access to treatment, according to an Aug. 17 CT Mirror report. The APT Foundation — a nonprofit organization based in…
Nevada reduced the percentage of children with behavioral health disabilities placed in psychiatric residential treatment facilities from 35% to 16% since January 2025, The Nevada Independent reported Aug. 13. The decline comes as the state works to comply with a…