One year ago, on Nov. 1, 2024, Riverside Mental Health & Recovery Center (RMHRC) opened a new freestanding Psychiatric Emergency Department to fill a significant gap in care for the community.
Since then, the Psych ED has helped about 5,600 patients, including 825 pediatric cases. Those numbers are in line with projections made during the project’s planning phases, according to Stacey Johnson, RMHRC President.
“The entire Psych ED team has been amazing this past year,” Johnson says. “They work so hard every day to provide caring and compassionate treatment, helping to keep many patients out of the hospital and engaged with follow-up care.”
The Psych ED, open 24/7 to anyone 5 and older, aims to stabilize patients and quickly connect them with the least restrictive level of care, whether an outpatient or inpatient program. Its team of physicians, nurses, therapists and techs are specially trained to help people in crisis.
The new resource also has kept patients out of local medical EDs, or at minimum led to faster transfers to a psychiatric setting. “We’ve really relieved the load on Riverside Regional Medical Center in particular,” Johnson reports. “It’s been a very successful start.”
As expected, the Psych ED has seen a wide range of mental health and substance abuse concerns, from psychosis and suicidal ideation to severe anxiety disorders in adults, teenagers and children. Many patients have arrived via word-of-mouth referrals and online searches for psychiatric care, requiring less external advertising than anticipated.
Instead of the bright lights and loud beeps of a typical emergency room, the space has more of a living room feel. Features include recliners, soothing colors, a sensory room, and a fully-enclosed outdoor area for patients needing fresh air and sunshine.
Moving forward, the Psych ED team plans to continue providing high-quality care and further reduce the time that patients are waiting for assessment and treatment, Johnson says: “Whatever the hour, we’re here to help.”
Learn more about mental health services at Riverside by visiting riversideonline.com/RMHRC.