San Diego has long lacked a specific solution for those suffering from mental health crises. Forced to turn to emergency rooms, these individuals have found themselves squeezed into a system designed primarily to help those in physical danger. With mental health-related ER visits increasing amid behavioral health cutbacks, officials feel the need to establish a countywide network of “crisis units” in hopes of ebbing the flow of mental health patients.
These facilities resemble a home more than a hospital as they are filled with plush couches and beds, while providing services that the families of patients cannot provide on their own. Crisis units can support patients with psychiatric care and medicine for up to 24 hours.
Whether tied to a hospital or not, the presence of such units will be a game-changer in mental health treatment for San Diegans. For people whose conditions may escalate into emergencies, these facilities can become a lifesaver.
District Attorney Summer Stephan spoke about her conversations with local police officers over the need for crisis units. She states, “What we hear is sort of desperation because law enforcement is taking them [to ERs] knowing they’re going to wait behind the cardiac arrest and the open wounds and the gunshot, knowing that really that’s not what the person needs… I mean, they can tell that the person just needs stabilization for their mental health, but that’s not an option that’s available.” Her hope for such facilities being integrated into San Diego is shared by leading psychiatrists, therapists, and doctors alike.
For those left vulnerable by costly hospital bills and a physical-health based system, crisis units will be just the solution. Undoubtedly a change for the better, spearheaded by the best.
Photo by Marcelo Leal
