To cope with the rise in demand for behavioral health services, an increasing number of provider organizations are opening urgent care clinics. BayCare Health System, the largest provider of behavioral health services in West Central Florida, recently announced it is launching the region's first behavioral health urgent care center.
Similar to a typical urgent care center, behavioral health urgent care centers allow individuals to schedule a same-day appointment or simply walk in and be seen. BayCare said its professionals will provide mental health and addiction screening and assessment for each person to provide the appropriate care for all levels of needs.
The Pasco County Commission in Florida awarded BayCare $3.7 million over three years from opioid settlement funding to renovate an existing building in Pasco County for the center and begin operation.
"We know, every day, there are mental health needs in our communities that aren't getting addressed. We also know there can be confusion about how to even start getting help," said Tracey Kaly, director of ambulatory clinical operations for BayCare Behavioral Health, in a statement. "An urgent care center for behavioral health will provide a place for individuals to go to access urgent referrals or receive follow-up referrals after an inpatient hospital stay," Kaly said.
With more than 55,000 patients served in 2022, BayCare operates 20 practice locations, 5 community health centers for the uninsured and underinsured, a residential addiction program and a residential child and adolescent program. To better serve needs in the Tampa Bay area, BayCare's psychiatry residency program launched in 2022, and BayCare opened the only combined medical/psychiatric hospital unit in the area at St. Joseph's Hospital-North in 2023.
In November, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center opened its Behavioral Health Urgent Care Service for children, adolescents and adults. It is providing same-day service for crisis evaluation and psychiatric medication consultation.
Ryan Boxill, Ph.D., M.B.A., a psychologist and the health center’s chief operating officer, told WGBH that the urgent care service will for many people eliminate the typical months-long wait for psychological or psychiatric care in the region.
“That is key because it will keep people out of the hospital,” Boxill is quoted as saying. “Right now in this state, a great proportion of our inpatient psych beds remain closed just due to staffing. And so what happens is, ‘I’m from East Boston. I need inpatient care. I might end up in Worcester. What are the chances are that my family is going to come visit me if I'm in Worcester?’”
In North Carolina, KidsPeace, in partnership with Alliance Health, has brought the first Behavioral Health Urgent Care/Facility Based Crisis (FBC) Center to Wake County. Behavioral Health Urgent Care (BHUC) is offered as an alternative to a community hospital’s emergency department, with a program specifically designed to address crisis due to a substance use disorder, mental health disorder, and/or I/DD diagnosis or any combination in individuals from 5 to 20 years of age.
To confront the addiction crisis facing Northern New York, a behavioral health urgent care center in Watertown is providing mental health and addiction treatment services around the clock, 24/7/365.
The Behavioral Health Urgent Care model was pioneered by Citizen Advocates in 2017, which was the first of its kind in the state, and includes locations in Malone, Ogdensburg and Watertown.
The clinic officially opened earlier this year and was recently granted state approval to provide 24-hour access to behavioral health urgent care – no appointment needed. The approval means the clinic can now offer overnight stays for mental health or addiction support on a completely voluntary basis.
“With each successive clinic we’ve opened since trailblazing a new path with the first Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center in Malone, our mission has been to help the region grapple with a surging demand for mental health and addiction treatment,” said James Button, president and CEO of Citizen Advocates, in a statement. “The antidote to that demand has been an unwavering commitment to provide the immediate support people need without the red tape – our unique brand of high-quality, exceptional care is available 24/7, no referral needed, no appointment needed – meaning walk-ins are always welcome.”
