Whether you are having anxiety and panic attacks, being paranoid that someone is going to hurt you, suffering from hopelessness, helplessness, simply in a crisis from stressors, hallucinating from street drugs, discharged from a hospital ER because you are not sick enough to meet the criteria for hospitalization, waiting to get an appointment because you missed your regular appointment and now cannot get in for the next three weeks to see your provider to get refills. In these scenarios and many more I believe you need quick access to a mental health provider and resources.

I have been a Psychiatrist in the community for the past 15 years and take pride in providing responsible care. Mental health challenges in the community include - how to meet urgent mental health needs, what do you do when the providers office is closed, how to find coverage when you take time off. Community members may not know how to access mental health services and need help navigating the system.

Is rushing to an ER an adequate option for mental health? The short answer is no. Most ER in community hospitals have minimal access to mental health resources. They often check you for a medical condition, give you medication for 3-7 days and instruct you to follow up with your psychiatrist. Average waiting for the appointment can be 4-12 weeks.

I had a patient show up for therapy recently, discharged from the local ER for intoxication. He was treated in the ER with fluids and once his blood alcohol level came down he was discharged. No follow up care, no warnings about symptoms of withdrawal, possible seizures or even death. The average ER is not equipped to understand mental health and/or addiction illnesses.

I wanted to have a resource and care for people who are not sick enough to be in hospital, yet have an urgent need for mental health needs. I have put in a team of clinicians and resources who have worked in crisis management in mental health hospitals, developed relationships with area hospitals, agencies and want to bridge the gap between outpatient services and hospitals.