Orange County hospitals have embraced the Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) model of care for patients experiencing psychiatric emergencies, citing data from the Alameda Health System indicating that the model reduces the need for involuntary, inpatient hospitalization by 75 percent and reduces wait times for treatment for these patients in busy hospital emergency rooms by 80 percent.

In California, there are at least 11 PES departments operating in eight counties. In Orange County, where the PES model of care is not currently in place and treatment sites for the uninsured are extremely limited, most patients experiencing psychiatric emergencies are taken to hospital emergency rooms and wait hours and sometimes days for treatment to commence.

Hospitals are working closely with Department of Behavioral Health officials to take advantage of funding opportunities afforded by the recently enacted Investment in Mental Health Wellness Act of 2013 to improve the delivery of care to these patients. In the PES model of care:

• Medical screening is provided in the field by an EMT or at the PES site, making the step of sending every patient to a medical emergency department in a designated or non-designated acute care hospital for medical clearance unnecessary.
• The PES provides rapid stabilization of patients in a comfortable and safe environment for all patients, including those presenting with acute psychiatric symptoms that include uncontrolled or dangerous behaviors.
• Each patient is assessed by a psychiatrist at the PES to determine their personal treatment needs and then referred to the appropriate treatment or level of care.

Contact: Julie Puentes
(714) 663-0294, jpuentes@hasc.org