Centra Health recently celebrated the opening of the first emPATH Unit located in Virginia. EmPATH, which stands for emergency psychiatric assessment, treatment and healing, is a new approach to long-standing care challenges for emergency department patients with behavioral health issues.
In the most recent community health needs assessment, which was conducted by Centra’s Department of Community Health, survey respondents consistently ranked mental health as one of the top health issues that affect our communities. Additionally, the percentage of respondents living in Lynchburg who listed mental health as one of their top five concerns increased from 29% in 2018 to 40% in 2021, with the percentage increases being even higher in the Bedford and Farmville regions.
The emPATH Unit staff works to address this concern by providing a calming space where behavioral health patients can be assessed and treated with the primary goal of returning the patient safely to their home with the support of outpatient services, their family and community resources.
Traditionally, behavioral health patients are placed in individual exam rooms, in relative isolation, waiting for different staff members and professionals to see them over a period of several hours or days. The emPATH Unit, which was first developed in California, addresses this problem by placing patients in a common, open area where staff, behavioral health experts and other patients interact and support each other throughout the patient’s visit.Â
This model of care has been recognized by the Joint Commission, National Center for Behavioral Health and was included in the 2022 Facility Guidelines Institute’s Guidelines for Design and Construction.
A key benefit of emPATH Units is that they help to reduce the need for extended emergency department stays or admittance for inpatient psychiatric care. The success of this care model has been demonstrated by other healthcare systems, too. For instance, the emPATH Unit at a Minnesota hospital achieved a remarkable 60% reduction in inpatient admissions for mental health patients during its inaugural year of operation.
One Midwest healthcare system was able to identify an increase in patient follow-up after opening its emPATH Unit. Before opening its emPATH Unit, a 30-day follow-up appointment was scheduled for only 39.4% of patients who received care after experiencing suicidal ideation. After the emPATH Unit opened, this percentage increased to 63.2%.
The Centra Foundation is funding the construction and initial operating expenses, a $4.5 million commitment, through a $1 million donation from an anonymous grateful patient and ongoing donations to the Greatest Need Fund. The anonymous donation is the largest single outright anonymous donation and among the largest gifts ever received by the Centra Foundation.
Currently, there are only around 100 of these units in the United States. As Centra works to provide advanced care so that patients can achieve well-being both physically and mentally, the hope is that this new emPATH Unit and the benefits it provides will play a major role in helping to meet the behavioral health needs of central Virginia.
For more information, visit centrahealth.com.
