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Emergency Crisis Services For Psychiatric Boarder Patients At Central Vermont Hospital Ed, Ann E. Burzynski

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Publications

Purpose: This project’s aim was to reduce the length of emergency department (ED) stays for psychiatric boarder patients at Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) and prevent unnecessary psychiatric inpatient admissions through access to psychiatric crisis stabilization care.

Methods: June of 2016, CVMC ED developed a unit called the Transitional Care Area (TCA). TCA staffing consisted of mental health workers and security staff. Training strategies were derived from national evidence-based psychiatric care emergency programs (i.e., Alameda Model), along with pertinent safety actions from The Joint Commission. Training modules focused on community social supports, behavioral crisis stabilization modalities, and development of crisis …