Sheppard Pratt Celebrates Redesign of its Psychiatric Urgent Care and Admissions

Redesign helps meet increased mental healthcare demand

BALTIMORE, April 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sheppard Pratt today hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the redesign of its Admissions, Psychiatric Urgent Care, and main entrance lobby area at its Towson, Maryland hospital campus. The physical renovation, as well as the redesign of the admissions process and model of care within Psychiatric Urgent Care, will allow Sheppard Pratt to meet the significantly increasing demand for mental healthcare.

The redesign of Admissions and Psychiatric Urgent Care will increase capacity and efficiencies of the Psychiatric Urgent Care by relocating the check-in and waiting area to provide more space, additional consultation and exam rooms, and a smoother transition to the appropriate level of care for each patient. The newly renovated space creates a more comfortable and welcoming experience for patients, families, and visitors. Nearly one-third of those seen in Sheppard Pratt's Psychiatric Urgent Care are people who need hospitalization, which substantially reduces emergency room visits and prolonged emergency department stays by helping people access care more directly.

"We recognize the critical and growing demand for urgent mental healthcare services in Maryland, and we are working to close this gap by providing the best and safest experience possible for people in crisis," said Harsh K. Trivedi, MD, MBA, president and CEO of Sheppard Pratt. "Patients should have access not only to care, but to care provided in encouraging, inviting, comforting spaces that illuminate the path forward."

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the existing need for mental healthcare services across the nation, driving more patients to emergency departments that are unable to accommodate the increased need. Sheppard Pratt has offered its Psychiatric Urgent Care at the Towson campus since 2011, and it opened one at its new Baltimore/Washington Campus in 2021. Both offer patients and their families an alternative to the emergency room, allowing them to receive a psychiatric assessment and triage in a welcoming environment. Once assessed, patients are referred to the appropriate level of care they need—from inpatient admission or day treatment programs to outpatient care for ongoing therapy and medication management.

Sheppard Pratt secured nearly $1 million in state funding for this project as well as additional funding support from the Hearst Foundations, Kahlert Foundation, Middendorf Foundation, and the Women's Hospital Foundation.

About Sheppard Pratt

Sheppard Pratt is the largest private, nonprofit provider of mental health, substance use, developmental disability, special education, and social services in the country. A nationwide resource, Sheppard Pratt provides services across a comprehensive continuum of care, spanning both hospital- and community-based resources. Since its founding in 1853, Sheppard Pratt has been innovating the field through research, best practice implementation, and a focus on improving the quality of mental health care on a global level. Sheppard Pratt has been consistently ranked as a top national psychiatric hospital by U.S. News & World Report for more than 30 years.

SOURCE Sheppard Pratt