MIND 24-7 WALK-IN CARE

The ER Isn’t The Place For People With Mental Health Concerns

Submitted By Jeff Spight, CEO of Mind 24-7

Emergency departments (ED) are one of the most incredible medical advances of the 20th century. The doctors, nurses and staff who work in emergency medicine save hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives each year. They are equipped to handle a wide range of physical health problems from burns and broken bones to seizures and strokes. People with mental health concerns should be treated in dedicated mental health walk-in clinics with mental health professionals on staff day and night to meet their needs.

Why not the emergency department (ED)?

Most EDs don’t have full-time mental health professionals on staff, meaning patients dealing with mental health issues often must wait hours to be seen by an on-call provider. That puts ED staff in the position of caring for patients in crisis who are potentially a harm to themselves or others for extended periods. Patients not in crisis, but who come to the ED for essential mental health care, frequently decide to leave rather than wait, putting them at risk for more serious issues.

Further, there are detrimental effects on the health care system itself. When patients who need mental health care occupy beds, there are fewer available for those requiring treatment for lifeand limb-threatening physical ailments. Cost can’t be overlooked either. ED visits for mental health conditions contribute to the country’s accumulation of $47 billion in unnecessary emergency care each year. Simply put: When EDs are forced to respond to mental health concerns they aren't equipped to manage, it puts a strain on hospital resources and on the health care system overall.

Even when patients with mental health issues are treated in the ED, there’s only about a 50% chance they will go on to receive the follow-up care they need. Mental health is a journey and is rarely achieved in a single visit to any provider. Whether a patient needs medication, therapy or other treatments based on their diagnosis, follow-up care for mental health issues is essential.

And yet, it’s understandable patients aren’t getting the ongoing care they need, considering the average wait time to get an appointment with a mental health provider in the United States is six weeks. When patients leave the ED following a mental health episode, they may be told they need follow-up care, but

it can be difficult to access that care given the lengthy wait times. A specially designed urgent mental health care center can take on the responsibility of making quality referrals and even providing ongoing care until a patient is connected with a longer-term provider, whereas most hospital EDs aren't equipped to do that.

Patients need and deserve an alternative. They need a different option than going to the ED when they know they need mental health care, or waiting weeks before getting the help they need. They deserve an alternative to getting the bare minimum.

How MIND 24-7 fills this gap in care

When Chief Executive Officer Jeff Spight started MIND 24-7, he had a goal to fundamentally change the way people access mental health care. In Arizona, his clinics are successfully filling a critical gap between long waits to get an appointment with a provider and going to the emergency department for mental health care, which is not only time-consuming and costly, but inadequate.

MIND 24-7 is open around the clock for walk-in care where no appointment is necessary. They treat every kind of mental health condition including anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, schizophrenia, addiction, substance use disorder and more in both adults and youths. Rather than waiting hours to receive care, MIND 24-7 patients see a mental health professional within 20 minutes of arrival, and most will be on their way again in about an hour and a half. MIND 24-7 clinics accept health insurance, including Medicare and AHCCCS. They also never turn anyone away due to lack of coverage or inability to pay.

MIND 24-7 provides an alternative that reduces the pressure and strain on EDs to ultimately create a better working health care system overall. Mr. Spight envisions a future in which no one will ever have to wait to receive the mental health services they need. With four locations and counting, they’re on their way to making this goal a reality.

If you feel like stress is getting the best of you, remember that you’re not alone. No appointment is necessary. To learn more, text or call 1-844-MIND247 or visit Mind24-7.com. $