Vituity Supports Launch of Dedicated Psychiatric Emergency Unit

Emeryville, Calif. (July 26, 2019) — Mercy San Juan Medical Center in northern Sacramento County experiences more than 4,000 emergency department (ED) visits for behavioral health emergencies each year. Recognizing the community need to care for patients in acute psychiatric crisis, Vituity, Dignity Health, and Sacramento County have collaborated to design and launch a new EmPath unit (Emergency Psychiatry Assessment, Treatment, and Healing unit).

Opening this month, the new unit will be a central resource for patients in northern Sacramento County to access psychiatric care in an emergency. Based at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, Calif., the unit will be led by on-site Vituity emergency psychiatrists, as well as nurses and staff from Mercy San Juan Medical Center. Additional Vituity psychiatrists will be available via telehealth.

Nationwide, patients who present to the ED with a behavioral health diagnosis wait an average of 11.5 hours before they are admitted. Vituity’s EmPath units provide behavioral health patients presenting to the ED with immediate access to a psychiatrist for evaluation and treatment in a calm, comfortable setting. On average, 75% of EmPath patients avoid an inpatient psychiatric admission altogether and are safely discharged to outpatient care in their community within 24 hours.

Vituity has supported the design and launch of more than a dozen EmPath units across the country, serving communities as diverse as Billings, Mont., and San Diego. To learn more about Vituity’s acute psychiatry practice, visit vituity.com/healthcare-services/psychiatry.

About Vituity

As a physician-led and -owned, multispecialty partnership, Vituity has proactively driven positive change in the business and practice of healthcare for nearly 50 years. Our more than 3,500 doctors and clinicians provide a wide range of integrated acute care expertise. Serving over 6.4 million patients annually at 300 practice locations, our footprint continues to rapidly expand across the country as we partner with and support hospitals, health systems, clinics, payers, and employers. Vituity’s acute focus and compassionate care are the driving forces that have placed us at the heart of better care. To learn more, visit vituity.com.

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Vituity Supports Launch of Dedicated Unit for Psychiatric Emergencies in Sacramento County

Partnering to improve patient lives