Behavioral Health illness is a growing problem in the U.S. that crosses all socioeconomic boundaries and age groups. Related health disorders include conditions such as clinical depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Depressive illnesses tend to present with substance abuse. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience a mental illness, with:

• 1 in 25 adults experiencing a serious or acute mental illness, and 17% of youth between the ages of 6-17 experience a mental health disorder.
• Mood disorders are the most common cause of hospitalization for all people in the U.S. under the age of 45.

While devastating for patients and their loved ones, those who suffer from an acute psychiatric illness would benefit from treatment.

St. John’s Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU)

St. John’s is leading the way to address this public health crisis through its commitment to build a Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU), a signature element of the Behavioral Health Services program. With the increased identification and prevalence of mental health disorders, St. John’s Emergency Departments are often overwhelmed with a surge of patients who require behavioral health services that extend beyond its service capabilities.

• A minimum of 50 inpatient mental health beds are recommended to serve every 100,000 people. Ventura County has only 10 for every 100,000 people.

The shortage often leads to critical health needs going unmet. Thus, a pattern emerges of patients presenting themselves in crisis to the ED, finding inadequate options for further care, whether it be inpatient or outpatient.

It is estimated that nationally 1 of every 8 visits to an emergency department stems from mental health or substance abuse issues (NAMI), and the local landscape at St. John’s is no different. St. John’s cares for thousands of patients with acute behavioral health needs annually, treating everyone and every need imaginable. A CSU is intended to deescalate the severity of a person’s level of distress and/or need for urgent care associated with behavioral health conditions or those stemming from substance abuse. Implementing a hospital-run CSU in our community will provide a much-needed and critical element in local care for patients in crisis. This is something unavailable currently.