Capital Public Radio health reporter Pauline Bartolone did this story about an alternative to hospital emergency rooms for people with mental health patients.
It’s estimated that one in 17 people live with a debilitating mental health problem. The Mental Health
Crisis Respite center recently opened in Sacramento for people in crisis who want to avoid the emergency room.
Listening is just one of the services at the mental health respite center. Program manager Duane Wright says the space is available to anyone who feels the need.
...The center is meant to provide an alternative to the emergency room. And that appeals to one mental health patient and advocate.
Leslie Napper has been managing her bipolar disorder and psychotic episodes for fifteen years. And she’s been to those emergency rooms.
“So you’re there in the hall way, you’re most likely in a gown, and you’re waiting to be assessed by a psychiatrist of what have you," she says. "People are walking by, they’re passing you up, you’re not getting any help. I mean it’s frustrating, it’s scary, it’s undignified. So there’s really no other way for the crisis to go but escalate.”
Sacramento Mental Health Center Offers Space for Recovery During Crises
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