First Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing Unit Opens in Lexington, Kentucky

Lila Patel/AdobeStock

SPECIAL REPORT: EMERGENCY PSYCHIATRY

Officials cut the ribbon on UK HealthCare’s Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing (EmPATH) unit on July 30, 2024, ushering in a new and exciting chapter in behavioral health care in the state of Kentucky. Since that day, EmPATH has helped more than 2700 individuals obtain the help they need.

The first of its kind in Kentucky and 1 of approximately 50 units in the country, EmPATH is designed to be a therapeutic environment for treating behavioral health crises, serving as an alternative to sending a person in crisis to the emergency department (ED). Open 24/7, EmPATH has its own easy-to-access entrance and a capacity of 12 to 16 chairs. Patients can stay up to 23 hours.

“The impact of EmPATH on both our community and Eastern State Hospital has been significant, even in a short time,” said Lindsey Jasinski, PhD, MHA, chief administrative officer at Eastern State Hospital. “It not only has reduced our readmissions and census, but it has also provided hope to those who are struggling and need support.”

The goal of EmPATH is to decompress EDs and inpatient units and promote better outcomes through rapid treatment access in the safest setting—and data from its first 6 months show that EmPATH is meeting that goal:

• Typically, approximately 10 to 12 individuals are being seen in EmPATH at any given time.
• The average length of stay is 15 hours.
• Patients’ chief concern is suicidality.
• EmPATH has seen patients from 66 Kentucky counties (with the majority from Fayette County) and 28 states.
• Patients come to EmPATH on their own, accompanied by family or friends, or through law enforcement/emergency medical services.
• EmPATH has already prompted a decrease in Eastern State Hospital’s readmission rate.
• EmPATH has markedly decreased the number of patients seen in the ED of Good Samaritan Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, for behavioral health needs.
• Most patients who use EmPATH return home after being provided community resources.
• Only approximately 25% of the individuals seen at EmPATH are hospitalized, and fewer than 5% of those individuals are hospitalized at Eastern State Hospital. The rest are admitted to Good Samaritan Hospital’s behavioral health unit, which is the hospital’s small inpatient adult unit on campus.
• Typically, the local community mental health corporation, New Vista, is able to schedule follow-up appointments for patients within a couple of days of their discharge. The rate of individuals keeping those appointments is extremely high, averaging 61%, compared with a baseline of 29% before EmPATH—more than doubling that rate.
• The EmPATH model, which started in California and is now recognized as a national best practice by The Joint Commission, has been shown to reduce hospitalizations by 75%.

“One of the most rewarding aspects of EmPATH is that we are able to provide services to people who previously were either not seeking services or were reluctant to get help,” said Marc Woods, DNP, chief nursing officer for Eastern State Hospital. “Also, they are not only getting help in the moment but are also being set up to receive care after they walk out the door.”

Dr Cooley is the chief medical officer of both Eastern State Hospital and Behavioral Health for UK HealthCare System. He is also an associate professor and director of inpatient services for the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Dr Jasinski is chief administrative officer and director of psychology services at Eastern State Hospital. Dr Woods is chief nursing officer for UK HealthCare.