More Than a Gateway: The Role of the Emergency Psychiatry Service in the Community Mental Health Network
James M. Ellison M.D.1 and
Elizabeth A. Wharff M.S.W.2
1 Cambridge Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard Medical School in Boston
2 New England Medical Center
Box 1007, 171 Harrison Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02111
The authors describe how an emergency psychiatry service in an inner-city general hospital has been able to expand its functions and strengthen its ties to community mental health agencies. A major factor in helping the emergency unit build closer relationships with community agencies is its contract with the state to perform evaluations of all admissions to the state hospital psychiatric unit serving the catchment area. The emergency unit performs triage and provides backup for the agencies, coordinates the management of multiagency cases, and holds weekly educational conferences for agency staff. Using case examples, the authors illustrate how unit and agency staff collaborate to ensure continuity of patient care.
