HAMPTON, Va. — Millions of people each year have a mental health crisis but not everyone can get the help they need.
In Virginia, many wind up in the emergency room or in the jails, but lawmakers and community leaders say there hasn't been a designated space to treat some of these patients until now.
Those experiencing a mental health crisis will soon be able get emergency care at a new Psychiatric Emergency Department on Riverside Health System's behavioral health campus in Hampton. Riverside Mental Health & Recovery Center staff held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the facility Thursday.
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The facility brings hope to law enforcement who are often the first point of contact for someone in crisis.
"How often are members of law enforcement dealing with people who have some kind of mental health crisis that's ongoing?" News 3 reporter Erika Craven asked Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan.
"Multiple times a day, in every community," said Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan. "We average about two to three emergency detention orders, that means we are taking someone against their will because they're either a danger to themselves or a danger to the community, approximately three a day. And that's not even counting anyone who voluntarily seeks help."
Sheriff Morgan said those in crisis sometimes wait days for proper mental health care after they visit a traditional emergency room.
"While that individual is sitting in the emergency room, they're not getting treated for what they are there for, they're waiting for pre-clearance," said Sheriff Morgan.
"Unfortunately, our behavioral health system was designed and has been built to deal with in-crisis patients in an emergency room setting and that's about it," added Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. "So, the capacity is so constrained as we have been in this sad, high-demand phase."
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Governor Youngkin and others toured the new facility in Hampton Thursday.
"It's not an emergency room that you think of going to if you broke your leg, it's an emergency department that you can go when you have a real crisis in your mental health," said Governor Youngkin. "And it's connected to a great campus of capabilities so if you need broader medical help you can go get it."
The 15,800-square-foot building houses treatment areas, sensory rooms, and secure outdoor areas. The facility will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will be staffed with a variety of medical professionals.
"The main thing we have, of course, is psychiatric treatment," said Dr. Ryan McQueen, chief of behavioral health and psychiatry with Riverside Health System.
The psychiatric emergency department is meant to facilitate de-escalation, help anyone 5-years-old and older with mental health and substance use issues, and connect patients with appropriate short and long-term care.
"Other things we do, say someone does come in and they missed a dosage of a medication, or a dosage of a long-acting injectable medication for, let's say, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, we can give that medication here," said Dr. McQueen. "And maybe that person doesn't sit in the emergency room and then have to actually go to an in-patient psychiatric facility. Instead we might be able to discharge someone straight from the emergency room straight back into the community, allowing other people who are in more need to end up in the psychiatric hospitals."
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"I think the impact related to the psychiatric emergency department will really benefit our medical [emergency departments]," said Stacey Johnson, president at Riverside. "I think it will help decompress so they are able to focus on those true medical patients and we are able to focus on those with psychiatric or behavioral health or substance use disorders. I also think our goal is to reduce law enforcement times that are attached to [emergency custody orders] or those that are here involuntarily for treatment."
"This is totally a game changer," added Sheriff Morgan.
Those at the ribbon cutting ceremony said they hope this facility will pave the way for Virginia's mental health care in the future.
The cost of the facility totaled more than $14 million. The City of Newport News contributed $3 million in ARPA grant money towards capital expansion of mental health outpatient programs. The City of Hampton pledged $3 million to the project.
The psychiatric emergency department is set to open later this fall.
If you're having a mental health crisis you can dial 988 to reach Virginia's hotline.
