Inova opens innovative EmPATH unit to handle psychiatric emergencies

Opening in November 2024 at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, EmPATH provides patient-centered acute care for people in crisis

When an individual is experiencing an acute psychiatric crisis and needs help, where can that person turn? People who are having a mental health crisis come to the emergency room (ER) for help. But if you’ve ever been in an ER, you know that these places can be the opposite of the calm, soothing environment important to help a person having a mental health crisis stabilize.

An ER can be overwhelming for anyone, with people moving quickly, bright lights and sounds, and other agitating stimuli. Take a person experiencing a mental health crisis, and add hours of waiting in the ER for help, and you have a recipe for increased distress, a poor experience for the person in crisis, and a stressful environment for team members, visitors and other patients. In Inova ERs, we quickly assess and triage patients in crisis to receive the most appropriate clinical care. That care now includes a new EmPATH unit, opening in November at Inova Fairfax Hospital. This unit is dedicated to emergency mental healthcare, designed to reduce anxiety and promote healing.

EmPATH stands for emergency psychiatry assessment, treatment and healing. It is an innovative, patient-centric model for psychiatric emergencies, focused on providing a calming, therapeutic environment with the goal of improved patient outcomes, safety and satisfaction. It is just the third such unit in Virginia. Inova is proud to invest in behavioral healthcare for our community.

A calming environment for rapid emergency psychiatric treatment

The EmPATH unit offers a separate, calming environment for adults (18+) experiencing a mental health crisis. It features:

• 14 recliner chairs in an open unit
• Serene, therapeutic environment
• Prompt behavioral health evaluation
• Ample clinical interventions
• Additional wellness rooms available

The EmPATH is staffed by licensed therapists, behavioral health advanced practice providers, nurses and a peer recovery specialist. Treatment includes:

• Group and individual therapy by licensed clinicians
• Medication management
• Family support meetings
• Comprehensive discharge planning

Patients stay a minimum of eight hours and a maximum of 48 hours. The goal is to discharge individuals within 24 hours. This gives the care team time to make an assessment, create a care plan, begin medication management and arrange aftercare with a warm handoff.

“The volume of patients in Inova Fairfax’s ED who have a behavioral health concern has grown by 32% over the last three years,” said Inova Behavioral Health psychiatrist Rachel Bronsther, MD. “Health systems that have implemented this innovative approach have realized significant benefits, including patients spending less time in the ER with a behavioral health concern and dramatically reduced inpatient psychiatric admissions.”

Coordinated care after EmPATH

One thing that happens while a person is on the EmPATH unit is that the individual’s care team creates a comprehensive discharge plan for continued care. Here are a few options for next steps after EmPATH:

• If an individual needs a step up in care, the care team can facilitate an inpatient psychiatric admission
• When the patient is discharged, the care team can arrange for direct admission into programs such as partial hospitalization or the intensive outpatient program
• The care team can schedule a follow-up appointment at the Inova Psychiatric Assessment Center for medication management
• The care team will work with the patient to facilitate a seamless connection to aftercare resources

“We are here to support patients in their wellness journey by providing a therapeutic environment with robust clinical interventions and seamless linkages to aftercare,” said Sonja Flood, LCSW, Senior Director of Inova Behavioral Health Services. “We understand the importance of an integrative approach to care and have a multidisciplinary team who will partner with the patient to help stabilize the crisis and develop an individualized plan for services.”

The right care in the right setting

By investing in behavioral health services that are alternatives to the ER, we are not only lowering costs. We’re also taking a patient-first approach that minimizes patients’ exposure to the hectic, disruptive ER in order to speed recovery and healing.

Our mission for world-class healthcare is realized through community commitment, including our philanthropic partners. We are grateful for their investments in creating a shared future of enhanced care and innovation.

Learn more about Inova’s EmPATH Unit, an innovative solution for emergency mental health care.