By Lilli Dubler, Building Kentucky
On Tuesday, July 30, community and state leaders joined UK HealthCare officials to celebrate the opening of a new emergency unit dedicated to treating patients experiencing a mental health crisis. The unit, on the Eastern State Hospital campus in Lexington, is known as EmPATH (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing) and is the first of its kind in Kentucky.
The EmPATH unit is open to adults over age 18 experiencing a behavioral health crisis, which has a broad definition: any mental health problem that impairs their ability to perform normal daily functions, take care of themselves and keep themselves safe. This includes those seeking help for a substance use disorder, those experiencing depression and anxiety, someone who is thinking about self-harm or suicide, and more. Patients may be brought in through emergency medical services (EMS), or may self-refer.
“Improving access to mental health care is one of the most important steps we can take to create a healthier state for all our families,” said Rocky Adkins, senior advisor to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “The EmPATH unit will be a critical resource for the citizens of Central Kentucky, and I applaud UK HealthCare, New Vista and Eastern State Hospital for working together to bring it to the Commonwealth.”
There are currently only 30 EmPATH units nationwide. UK HealthCare and New Vista have collaborated with leadership from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to bring this new model of emergency behavioral health care to Kentucky.
“The EmPATH model is a game-changer for mental health care, and we are so proud to be the first in the state to open this unit,” said Robert S. DiPaola, M.D., University of Kentucky co-executive vice president for health affairs. “For many, seeking care for a mental health issue can be difficult, frustrating and even frightening. With EmPATH, we’re using a proven, evidence-based approach that allows our behavioral health team to provide fast, appropriate evaluation and care that’s easier for patients to access in an environment conducive to healing.”
Pioneered by internationally known emergency psychiatry expert Scott Zeller, M.D., EmPATH units are carefully designed physical environments that help patients experiencing an acute mental health issue receive immediate support. Instead of individual treatment rooms, the units are wide open spaces with comfortable seating. Upon arrival, individuals will interact with supportive health care providers including psychiatrists, nurses, social workers and even peer support specialists, and can stay in the unit for up to 23 hours.
Eastern State Hospital Chief Administrative Officer and psychologist Lindsey Jasinski, Ph.D., says the peer support aspect is one of the key factors that has made this model so successful. Patients will have the chance to speak to others who have to deal with taking medication, receiving therapy and participating in different programs.
“We have those folks here in the unit to say, ‘Can I share my experience with you?’” Jasinski said. “It can be helpful to hear from someone who has been in a difficult place and been able to successfully navigate that. It provides hope, and that’s what the EmPATH model is all about.”
Nationally, studies show that between 60 and 70 percent of individuals who utilize an EmPATH unit are stabilized and back home within 24 hours, and patients treated in these units are far more likely to continue their care. A study published in Academic Emergency Medicine showed that 60 percent of individuals in rural areas with suicidal thoughts or ideation sought follow-up care after their initial treatment in an EmPATH unit.
In addition to providing faster, more appropriate care for psychiatric patients, the EmPATH unit will help reduce the load on traditional emergency departments.
“Our emergency departments give amazing care and save countless lives every day, but we know that patients who come in with a life-threatening injury will need to take priority, and patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis will be further down the list to receive treatment,” said Eastern State Hospital Chief Medical Officer and UK HealthCare psychiatrist Andrew Cooley, M.D. “EmPATH is the alternative to that – a patient shows up here, and we immediately greet them and begin care.”
The EmPATH unit is part of UK HealthCare and will have its own separate entrance at Eastern State Hospital’s campus, on Bull Lea Road in Lexington. At roughly 11,000 square feet, the EmPATH Psychiatric Unit has room for up to 12 patients at a time.
