The Treatment of Patients with Mental Health and Substance Related Disorders in Emergency Departments

Overcrowding of Emergency Departments (ED) has become an public health issue nationally. However, ED utilization by patients with mental health and substance related disorders (PwMHSDs) has been increasing at a much faster rate compared to patients with other chief medical complaints. The lack of community resources, especially at night or on the weekends, forces patients to seek mental health care in the ED; however, when presenting to the ED these patients experience a gap in care. PwMHSDs presenting to the ED often experience longer overall wait times and are boarded in the ED due to a lack of inpatient psychiatric beds for patients to be transferred. This research explores how the differences in boarding time varies between patients due to insurance type, socioeconomic status and race. Through policy changes the care of PwMHSDs in the ED can better meet the needs of this underserved patient population