Behavioral Crisis Unit
If you’re in crisis, visiting the Emergency Department may be your best option. We know it can be a stressful experience. Although no two visits are the same, we want you to know what you may experience when you are with us.
Triage
You’ll first meet a triage nurse who will try to quickly get information from you that we’ll use for treatment decisions. Be as open and honest as you can.
Personal safety
People experiencing a mental health crisis have unique safety concerns. We will ask you about items that could present a danger to yourself or to others. Our staff will complete a safety search and we will ask you to give your belongings to us. We will log all of your items and return them to you later. We want to ensure a safe environment for you and our staff.
Behavioral health crisis clinicians
You’ll meet with members of our Integrated Crisis Team during your stay in the Emergency Department. These clinicians are trained to help you and identify the right resources for your treatment.
Medical assessment
An Emergency Department doctor will meet with you to complete a full medical assessment. He or she also may order blood and urine lab work to help in your treatment.
Mental health assessment
After you receive medical clearance from the doctor, a behavioral health crisis clinician or social worker will complete a mental health assessment with you. This is designed to identify the appropriate resources you may need or want. It’s important for you to be part of your treatment and participate by answering all questions open and honestly.
Disposition
After your assessment, your treatment team will work with you to create a plan. This could include more treatment in a hospital or outpatient treatment and a referral to other resources. Let your team know if you have a specific preference for a referral.
Discharge
You may receive referrals to multiple community resources. It’s important to work with your treatment team to create a discharge plan. Your family members should be involved in planning so they can support you. A good discharge plan helps ensure continuous, coordinated treatment and a smooth return to the community.
Acute psychiatric hospitalization
There might be times when a person needs to be admitted to a hospital for intensive treatment. LMH Health doesn’t have a psychiatric unit but we do coordinate with private psychiatric hospitals or the state psychiatric hospital. Both are designed to be safe settings for intensive mental health treatment.
If a person and their treatment team agree that inpatient treatment is a good idea, the patient will be admitted on a voluntary basis, meaning that they choose to go. These stays typically last three to four days but can last longer.
If a person is very ill and refuses to go to the hospital or accept treatment, involuntary hospitalization may be an option.
