MetroHealth Opens Psychiatric Emergency Department in Cleveland Heights

The MetroHealth System has opened its new Psychiatric Emergency Department at the Cleveland Heights Medical Center, providing round-the-clock, on-site psychiatric emergency services to meet the community's critical need for crisis behavioral healthcare.

"This successful opening represents an extraordinary undertaking by the dedicated staff of our behavioral health team," said Charles Emerman, MD, Interim Chair of Psychiatry and Chair of Emergency Medicine. "MetroHealth is committed to expanding access to outstanding behavioral healthcare to all members of our community when they are in most in need."

The Psychiatric Emergency Department is staffed by MetroHealth psychiatrists and behavioral-health trained nurses, nursing assistants and social workers, who can provide crisis care to patients experiencing psychiatric emergencies no matter what time of day or night, every day of the year. MetroHealth's Cleveland Heights campus is located at 10 Severance Circle, near the intersection of Mayfield and South Taylor Roads.

The Psychiatric Emergency Department's location in the Behavioral Health Hospital allows for the smooth transfer of patients who require inpatient behavioral healthcare. Patients with a medical need can be transferred to the hospital's designated psychiatric-medical unit.

The launch of the specialized emergency department earlier this month follows the closing of St. Vincent Charity Community Health Center's psychiatric emergency services unit in this summer.

The new space, with a capacity of 13 patients, meets Joint Commission guidelines for patients experiencing mental health and/or substance-related crises. It is a locked unit, designed for the safe care of patients.

In addition to the Psychiatric Emergency Department at Cleveland Heights Medical Center, MetroHealth will continue to provide high-quality psychiatric care and coordination at its four emergency departments, including its Main Campus.

MetroHealth's Psychiatric Emergency Department is part of its major investment in behavioral health over the last five years. The Behavioral Health Hospital opened in October 2022 to address the region's critical shortage of capacity for short-term, inpatient care for people with mental illness. The $42 million facility is believed to be the largest investment in behavioral health in Northeast Ohio in 30 years.

Jane Granzier, Director of Crisis Emergency Services at MetroHealth, said the goal of the Psychiatric Emergency Department is to provide compassionate care for some of the community's highest-risk patients in their most vulnerable moments, whether they come in on their own, with a family member or through public safety services.

"We can't erase the systemic trauma they've experienced," she said. "But what we can do is be a seed of hope to show them that behavioral healthcare can be delivered in a way that's positive and lifegiving and nonjudgmental."

MetroHealth worked closely with the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County to open the Psychiatric Emergency Department. The Board is responsible for the planning, funding and monitoring of public mental health and addiction treatment and recovery services delivered to county residents, including psychiatric emergency services.

"The ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County is proud to fund and support access to high-quality behavioral healthcare throughout Cuyahoga County," said Latoya Hunter Hayes, the Board's Chief of External Affairs. "For decades, we've worked tirelessly to build a comprehensive network of services that meet the needs of our community. MetroHealth's new Psychiatric Emergency Department is a crucial addition to this network, ensuring that people can get the help they need, when they need it."

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