BRIDGETON, Mo. — Patients seeking treatment for depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health issues will no longer need an appointment. SSM Health is opening a hospital-based psychiatric urgent care Wednesday on the DePaul Hospital campus.
"What we really want to do here and what we really want to focus on is how can we get to those patients before they're in crisis, and before there's a significant impact on their lives," SSM Health - St. Louis Regional Vice President of Behavioral Health Michelle Schafer said in a press release. "It's not a model that folks have really thought about or that exists in our region, but everybody truly understands and believes that it's a better way to service patients."
The Behavioral Health Urgent Care will be open every day from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Patients can receive an assessment, treatment, linkage and supporting services for the for depression, mood disturbances, anxiety, medication, stres, grief reactions, psychosis, distortion or disconnection from reality and other issues.
Upon arrival, patients will register and meet with a nurse for a triage assessment. Depending on the reason for the visit, patients may be further evaluated/assessed by a therapist, nurse practitioner, psychiatrist, peer navigator or other behavioral health staff, the release said.
The treatment team will address urgent concerns, make follow-up appointments and assist with additional resources as needed.
"We are trying to be transformative in doing different things to meet the needs of those who need help, in using the dollars as wisely as we can and by coming together and working in a collaboration, which is also something new and different and unique," Schafer said.
Visits to emergency rooms by people seeking treatment for mental health issues have increased by more than 40% in St. Louis and St. Louis County, according to the St. Louis Regional Mental Health Data Report.
This includes collaboration with community partners, including the Behavioral Health Network, Behavioral Health Response, Hopewell Center, Queen of Peace Center, Independence Center, Preferred Family Healthcare, BJC Behavioral Health, Places for People, Compass Health Network, Provident Behavioral Health, Missouri Care/Anthem Inc., the National Alliance on Mental Health and Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri.
