Psychiatry and Behavioral Health > Emergency Psychiatric Care

Emergency Psychiatric Care

Why choose Wayne Health for Emergency Psychiatric Care?

Wayne Health’s Emergency Psychiatric team at Detroit Receiving Hospital serves a unique population of high-risk patients with psychiatric illnesses ranging from severe personality disorders, to high aggression and agitation, to those having suicidal thoughts. Many of our patients also have medical conditions and/or underlying social problems. Psychotic disorders, severe mood disorders and substance abuse are among the most common conditions we assess, treat and stabilize through our High Intervention Program and Psychiatric Emergency Room. Patients are treated not only for their psychiatric illnesses, but for their medical conditions, social problems and substance use issues, including detox.

Through our implementation of different levels of care and individualized treatment plans, we have succeeded in reducing our inpatient psychiatric admission rate to less than 30%. However, if inpatient psychiatric hospitalization is required, there is a secure psychiatric unit at Detroit Receiving Hospital for those 18 and older with severe psychiatric illness. Patients may also be transferred to inpatient units at other area hospitals or placed at transitional housing facilities

Wayne Health's Emergency Psychiatric services

We offer comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment for:

  • Psychotic disorders causing hallucinations, delusions, confused and disturbed thoughts
  • Mood disorders – depression, anxiety, bipolar
  • Suicidal thoughts or actions
  • Substance abuse
  • Personality disorders – odd, eccentric thinking or behavior, such as paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder or schizotypal personality disorder.

Overview

Wayne Health's approach to treatment

Many patients arrive for emergency psychiatric care via EMS, police, group home providers, treatment program staff or family members. In the Detroit Receiving Crisis Center/Psychiatric Emergency Room, a psychiatrist is available on-site 24/7, supported by a multidisciplinary team of nurses, social workers, mental health technicians, psychiatry residents and medical students. Emergency medicine, internal medicine, dietitians and other consultants are available on an as-needed basis.

Wayne Health psychiatry and behavioral medicine providers working in the Detroit Receiving ER are national trendsetters in the care of patients with behavioral health issues. Our innovative models of care have increased access to mental health care, improved outcomes, reduced cost and are being adopted by other health providers across the country. Our emergency room diversion program has helped to reduce emergency room stays and visits for behavioral health patients and inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations. Under the program, psychiatric social workers and psychiatrists team up with ER physicians to do psycho-social assessments and start psychiatric treatment, rather than simply holding a patient in the ER for admission to a psychiatric facility.

We offer different levels of psychiatric care and individualized treatment plans to reduce inpatient psychiatric admissions. If inpatient psychiatric hospitalization is required, there is a secure psychiatric unit at Detroit Receiving Hospital for those 18 and older with severe psychiatric illness. Patients may also be transferred to inpatient units at other hospitals in the area or may be placed at transitional housing facilities. Attending psychiatrists round daily on psychiatric inpatients at Detroit Receiving and conduct treatment team meetings involving nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, spiritual care, dietitians, pharmacists and medical consultants in the assessment and care of patients.

Advancing research and medical education

Wayne Health physicians and researchers are also faculty members of the Wayne State University School of Medicine who conduct research and clinical studies. This makes the latest treatments and clinical trials available to you sooner than other health providers without a medical school affiliation. We are fully committed to innovative research that advances care and treatment in behavioral health.

Our clinical research focus areas include translational physiometrics for mood disorders and early identification and treatment of schizophrenia.

For more information, please visit the links below at the WSU School of Medicine.

Meet our doctors/providers

Nicole Ann Woznicki, WHNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner-Women's Health Care