Burgess Offers Telemental Health in ER

Burgess Health Center now offers a telemental health services in order to meet an urgent need for psychiatric and substance abuse cases in the emergency department. This service will provide more timely access to mental health evaluations in a rural hospital setting.

“We’ve been facing an increase in mental health and substance abuse cases coming through our emergency room doors,” said Karla Copple, Director of Emergency Services at Burgess. “This option will give our physicians and nurses’ real-time support, not to mention increasing quality of care and decreasing costs for our patients.”

Patients that arrive with psychiatric and substance abuse often face long wait times to be evaluated by a trained mental health provider. Some patients may also be discharged from the hospital before receiving an evaluation or roomed in a hospital bed for observation, reducing the quality of care and increasing costs with repeated visits.

Photo: Karla Copple, Director of Emergency Services