In a Tuesday briefing before the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, leaders from the Health Department and the Unity Center for Behavioral Health shared a progress report on the mental health emergency facility, which opened in January, 2017.
The 107-bed Unity Center, located in Northeast Portland, provides 24-hour emergency psychiatric services for people experiencing a mental health emergency. Visits to Unity have nearly doubled, from 579 visits the first full month of operation, to more than 1,000 visits in March 2018.
The facility is a collaboration between Adventist, Legacy, Oregon Health & Science University, and Kaiser Permanente. The four health systems came together to provide another option for people in crisis who otherwise might be admitted to the hospital or locked in a jail cell. Multnomah County invested $3 million toward the start up costs.
In its first year of operation, people seeking help for mental health issues in emergency departments have decreased significantly as more residents access Unity as an alternative, Chris Farentinos, the Vice President for Unity, told commissioners. Ambulance trips to the facility have increased, while squad car trips have steadily declined.
Commissioner Sharon Meieran, an emergency room physician, applauded the Unity model as a solution for people who need emergency mental health services. By providing patients access to mental health professionals, she said, Unity prevents unnecessary hospitalizations and frees up resources for emergency departments.
“I’ve taken care of kids in emergency departments in the windowless room, not getting mental health treatment,” she said, “which is why Unity is fabulous, because at least people are getting treatment while they’re there.”
Farentinos raised concerned about reports from staff that they were subject to being abused by patients. In March, the Oregon Occupational Health and Safety Administration fined the Center for failing to properly address incidents of violence against staff.
Farentinos said safety is Unity’s “number-one priority,” and leaders have taken steps to improve it. Unity has a safety committee that meets monthly, in addition to daily safety huddles to correct potentially dangerous situations, and quarterly safety summits where all staff are able to express concerns. The center has also committed to train all staff in mandatory de-escalation and trauma-informed communication.
Commissioner Loretta Smith praised Farentinos and Unity leadership for their efforts to improve safety at the facility “We sometimes hit bumps in the road but it looks like you’ve set up a comprehensive plan to deal with those issues.'
Farentinos also highlighted some other lessons her team has learned from Unity’s first year. Looking forward, she said, she would like to streamline the screening process for frequent visitors, bring down the length of patient stays and address the related lack of access to supportive housing.
Chair Deborah Kafoury echoed the need for affordable housing and reiterated her support for the 22-room mental health housing program opening later in 2018 in Southwest Portland. “We really need housing, so people can get out and get back into the community,” she said.
