New Crisis Stabilization Unit opens at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula - A new benefit to patients in mental health crisis will also ease demands on Emergency department
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MONTEREY, CA. — Many Emergency department patients experiencing a mental health crisis will find a faster, more focused pathway for care in the new Crisis Stabilization Unit opening Monday, March 20 at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.
The dedicated space and specially-trained staff are for people who turn to the Emergency department in crisis, but don’t require hospitalization. The goals are to get them specific, brief interventions to manage the crisis, and to help ensure they have the services and support they need to be able to go home safely.
“Someone in a mental health crisis may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, significant stressors at home or in life that they are having trouble managing, or concurrent challenges with mental illness and substance use,” said Dr. Veronica Searles Quick, Director of Crisis Psychiatry. “They often need therapeutic support, a period of respite, and some space to recuperate.”
The Crisis Stabilization Unit is opening in phases, with the first area opening for patients 18 and older. A separate, adjacent area for those 17 and younger is scheduled to open in late May and will be partially staffed by Ohana, Montage Health’s innovative mental and behavioral health program for young people.
The unit will benefit patients who meet clinical and safety criteria, freeing Emergency department space and staff for non-mental health emergencies.
“If we transfer a patient with a mental health concern to a more therapeutic environment more quickly, it benefits our patient and clears a bed in the Emergency department for another patient to be seen” Dr. Searles Quick said.
In January, considered a typical month, 146 Emergency department patients needed mental health assistance or evaluation. “Based on the initial evaluation and safety assessment, many of these patients would have been appropriate to receive care in the new crisis stabilization unit,” said Alexandra Keller, Director of Behavioral Health Services for Community Hospital.
Historically, people who go to the Emergency department in crisis have had sometimes-lengthy waits for evaluation and related support. If it’s determined they need inpatient care, the wait can be even longer. Adults may go to Garden Pavilion, Community Hospital’s inpatient mental health unit, if it’s appropriate
for their needs and a bed is available. For young people, Ohana will eventually have a residential unit at its Ryan Ranch campus, but for now, there are no residential beds for adolescents or children in Monterey County. “Finding available space somewhere in California can take days,” said Dr. Searles Quick, who is also a child and adolescent psychiatrist with Ohana.
The unit will be staffed with psychiatrists as well as registered nurses and social workers with mental health training. The primary areas — one for young people, one for adults — are open spaces with comfortable reclining chairs, activities, and kitchenettes.
The space was designed with the patients in mind, enabling:
- Group and individual therapy
- Clinical consultations
- Meetings with families
- Interaction among patients
- Respite and “quiet rooms”
Adult stays will probably be no longer than 24 hours, while children’s stays may be a bit longer, with active participation from their family members being a key part of the intervention. “We hope that this will reduce the need for hospitalization,” Dr. Searles Quick said, “because these patients will have time to recuperate in a therapeutic space.”
The unit is designed for patients who come to the Emergency department in crisis, are evaluated there, and meet specific criteria, including:
- Are experiencing a mental health crisis that can benefit from a short-term intervention
- Do not require hospitalization or inpatient treatment
- Are not violent
- Do not have advanced dementia
Learn more at www.montagehealth.org/csu.
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ABOUT COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, established in 1934, has grown and evolved in direct response to the changing healthcare needs of the people it serves. Its parent company is Montage Health, the umbrella for entities that work together to deliver exceptional care and inspire the pursuit of optimal health. Community Hospital is a nonprofit healthcare provider with 220 staffed acute-care hospital beds and 28 skilled-nursing beds, delivering a continuum of care from birth to end of life, and every stage in between. It serves the Monterey Peninsula and surrounding communities through locations including the main hospital, outpatient facilities, satellite laboratories, a mental health clinic, a short-term skilled nursing facility (Westland House), Hospice of the Central Coast, Montage Wellness Centers, and business offices. Find more information about Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula at chomp.org
