Psychiatry Emergency Department
Description: The Psychiatry Emergency Department (PED) is a 20-recliner unit that can surge up to 25 in high volume situations. The PED provides short-term crisis care and treatment to patients with emergent psychiatric needs who are on voluntary and involuntary statuses. This is achieved within a safe, recovery-oriented, trauma-sensitive, therapeutic environment through multi-disciplinary collaboration, assessment, and disposition planning between a psychiatrist or advanced practice provider, a licensed social worker, a registered nurse, and psychiatric technicians. The treatment team determines safe disposition plans, connects patients to mental health resources, prescribes medication, and facilitates transfers to inpatient psychiatric units when necessary.
Services: The PED will provide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Individuals will be offered a recliner and continuously monitored by staff members with direct observation. Care and treatment are based upon the nature and severity of the patient’s complaint. Currently the length of stay in the PED is up to 48 hours. However, in certain situations, patients may stay up to 72 hours (this is dependent on patient need and the clinical judgement of the professionals working in the Psychiatric Emergency Room). If a patient’s symptoms cannot be stabilized within this timeframe, the patient will be linked to an appropriate level of care (LOC) such as an inpatient psychiatric unit or crisis residential services. Patients may also meet with peer recovery navigators or be connected with treatment resources for substance use disorders.
Treatment Team: Each team consists of either a psychiatrist, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant along with a social worker, a nurse, and psychiatric technicians. We also have peer recovery navigators and pharmacy technicians who assist our patients and our teams.
Partnerships with outside organizations including the North Texas Behavioral Health Authority, Metrocare Services, Southern Area Behavioral Healthcare, IPS (Integrated Psychotherapeutic Solutions), and Child & Family Guidance Center allow our teams to provide warm handoffs from the ER to outpatient organizations who can continue a patients care.
Location: Parkland Memorial Hospital